


something

by etotheswan



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-12 16:46:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 60,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1192467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etotheswan/pseuds/etotheswan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Completely AU. Emma is a successful private detective currently residing in Chicago, IL. Typically her detective duties, along with her trusty sidekick August Booth, involve investigating failed marriages and cheating wives. She is a single mom, trying to figure it all out. And it doesn’t get any easier to figure out once she meets Regina Mills. Eventual Swan Queen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know Boston is Emma's city, but I'm in love with Chicago, so I switched it for my own selfish reasons. I feel the city should almost be a character at the end and I don't know Boston well enough to capture the voice of it. So, Chicago it is! 
> 
> I've aged Henry... by a few years. I like young adults way better than pre-teens.
> 
> Presently, Emma sleeps with men, because she just doesn't understand herself yet. But I won't write heterosex, so no worries there. 
> 
> Robin Hood is involved, but I can't say more than that. YOU WON'T LIKE HIM, I PROMISE.
> 
> And don't worry - it's eventual Swan Queen. 
> 
> Also, I love constructive criticism, so leave a review! Happy reading!

Chapter 1

Emma Swan slowly opened her eyes. She pushed herself up on her elbows and looked at the clock on the window sill.  The soft glow of the street lamps were illuminating the room just enough that it wasn’t pitch black. The red, digital numbers slightly came into focus as she squinted.

_4:15 AM_

She groaned, rolled over and immediately bumped into something… Oh, right… some _one_. Emma picked her head up from the mattress and glanced over at the sleeping form next to her. Another one night stand with another guy she would never talk to again.

She quietly extracted herself from the warm bed and threw on a pair of fleece lined running pants, a sports bra, and running shoes. Hopefully by the time she returned from her run the man would have taken the hint and would be gone. Emma tugged a pullover on, rearranged her blond hair and then stole one last glance towards the sleeping form.

_Dammit… Why do I keep doing this?_

 

* * *

 

“How was your night last night?” Emma asked, breaking the silence. Henry looked up at her from his homework as she continued to make dinner.  She flipped the turkey burger on the griddle and then glanced over at her son.  Their eyes locked, his left eyebrow arching.  “What?”  
  
“I should probably be asking you that, Ma.”

“What are you talking about?” Emma hoped that he didn’t see the deep blush cross her cheeks. Her overnight visitor had been gone when she returned from her run that morning, thank goodness. It never was something she planned when she went out with her friends, but typically someone ended up going home with her. And the trysts always ended the same way. A morning run and walking into an empty apartment. The only thing that remained this morning was a piece of paper on the bathroom mirror, held up with a piece of scotch tape. _Thanks. – B_  

“Mmhmm. Mom, I’m 16. I know what happens when parents have nights to themselves.”

Emma started to laugh. “Oh, sure.  Seriously, though, how was your night? Did you and Jacob finally beat that damn game?”

Henry smirked. “Nice subject change.”  He stole a fresh french fry from the basket on the bartop. “Actually, we _did._ And we found _another_ level. One that is I guess super hard to find and super hard to beat. We’re supposed to meet online on the Playstation tonight to try to beat it together. I don’t know if we can beat it but I’m so stoked.” He looked at his mom and smiled, “What?”

“Stoked?”

“Yes, ma, _stoked._ Don’t even act like you don’t know what that means.”

“Oh, I know what it means. It means you’ve been hanging around that record store and those hipsters far too much.”

Henry’s eyes shot open wide. “Ma! Holy cow, I totally forgot to tell you.” He ran out of the kitchen and into his bedroom, quickly returning with a plastic bag. He pulled out a vinyl album cover and spun it in his hands, both corners held firmly. “Eat your heart out!”

Emma’s smiled stretched from ear to ear. “HENRY! I cannot believe you found that!”

“AND it’s an original copy. This is legit, Ma.”

Emma set the spatula down and made her way to her son. He was so cute, standing there with his used copy of a TLC _Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg_ vinyl album and his goofy grin. “I don’t know where you got this eclectic music taste from, but I am super happy about it.” Emma put her hands on either side of his face and kissed him on the forehead.

“I got it from you, ma. You know that.”

She looked straight into his hazel eyes. “Yes, I suppose you did.”

“I got you something, too.” He gingerly set the TLC album on the kitchen stool and then slid out another album from the plastic bag for Emma. “I know you really love The Beatles, and I don’t think you have this one on vinyl.”

Emma felt her eyes tear up when she looked at the album. “Henry, I love it.  Thank you.” She looked between her son and the album.  “Why don’t you go put it on?”

“Sounds like a great plan,” Henry said as he bounced over to the record player.  He purposely skipped the first song and started with the second _._

Emma smiled as she plated their burgers, fries, and salad.

_Something in the way she moves…_

 

* * *

 

 

“August!” No response. Emma pushed the steel door closed of the loft apartment that she and August had turned into their office.  She dropped her leather messenger bag on the countertop in the small kitchenette to the left and shouted again, “August!!” Still nothing. “What the hell… _August_?!”  Emma heard a couple of thuds and then an even louder crash.

“What?!” came a voice from the upstairs loft.

“August, seriously. What have I told you about falling asleep at the office?” A couple seconds later, she was brewing a cup of hot chocolate in the Keurig. She glanced toward the loft area up the small staircase and waited for an answer.

August poked his head over the loft railing and smiled sheepishly.  “I’m really sorry, Em. I was here working late on the new file system and I just lost track of time and honestly, this futon up here is way more comfortable than anything at my apartment.”

Emma couldn’t help but smile at him, his hair sticking straight up and clearly unaware that he still had a post-it stuck to his forehead. “It’s okay. As long as you’re alon-“

“Auggie, honey, what’s all the noise about?”

August’s face dropped, “Em, really, don’t.” He hung his head in shame. “I know. I’m in trouble.”

Emma’s face was on fire. “10 minutes, August. And she’d better not be one of our clients’ wives.”  Just as she said that, her eyes made contact with his and he shrugged sheepishly. “Are you _fucking_ kidding me?” she hissed.

He sighed as loud as he could as he disappeared from sight. Emma heard a scuffling and then what she was pretty sure was kissing and possibly more, ew, ew, ewwww, and then 20 minutes later, August emerged from upstairs, a perky, blonde in tow. “Emma, you remember – “

“Oh, _Mrs._ Johnson.” Emma swirled around and rolled her eyes. “ _Great_ to see you again. I’m certainly happy that your husband is paying us to spy on you while August here fucks you. Just _wonderful_.”

“Emma!” August screeched as he ushered the woman out the door. She kissed him, he shoved her out, and then he slammed the door in her face.  “What the hell?!”

“Don’t.”

“Em.”

Emma turned and pointed her finger at him. “August. _Don’t_.”  She walked over to her desk and started shuffling through papers on what she referred to as the reception area. Really it was just August’s desk and she was thankful that at least he knew how to be a loyal assistant. “Where are the forms for the new clients? There’s a new client coming in this morning – kind of why I was hoping you wouldn’t have been here with a WOMAN, but whatever – and I’d like to appear to be professional.”

August slid past her while combing through his messy, messy hair, the post-it finally found. “Em, man, why didn’t you tell me that I had a post-in stuck to my forehead?”

Emma chuckled, “I figured _Mrs._ Johnson would have told you.  Now where’s the paperwork?”

He glared at her, pointed in the direction of a tall cabinet with paper sized cubby holes in it. “I rearranged everything. It’s all in order, alphabetically. I also color-coded all the forms, too. New Clients, pink, old clients, blue, miscellaneous, green. But you don’t have to pull papers anymore, because there are new client folders in your office on the bookcase. I’ll label them with the label maker after you’re finished with the initial check.” He moved between Emma and the cabinet. “Please do not screw this up. It took all night.” August smiled, “Well, not _all_ night.”

“Gross.” Emma pushed him out of the way and eyed the cabinet. “This is awesome, August. I’ll overlook the fact that you fucked a woman on the futon upstairs.”

“It wasn’t _just_ on the futon.”

“Don’t.”

“The chair.”

“August!”

 

* * *

 

Emma heard the metal door to the loft slide open from her office. Moments later, August was greeting the client, asking about coffee or water or tea, or a cookie.

“I’ll let Detective Swan know that you’re here.” August made his way towards Emma’s office and pushed open her door after softly knocking. “So, the client is here.”

“Okay, great. Thanks, August.”  She looked up from her desk at him. His eyes were huge. “What? Have you slept with this one already?”

August shook his head. “Uh, no. Not at all.”

Emma laughed, “Have _I_ slept with this one?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” August whispered. “But she’s,” he whistled a long, low whistle. “Yeah, she’s good.”

“She? I thought this client was a husband?”

August chuckled, “Sorry, no. This one is most definitely a woman.”

Emma tilted her head. “I thought we were only servicing men right now? Men that wanted to find out if their wives were cheating?”  She checked her appointment book. “All this says is ‘Mills’.”

“Well, I might have put the ad for business on Craigslist.”

“Great.” Emma shook her head, discouraged. “Now what?”

“You’re gonna be okay with this little fuck up of mine.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because she is hot as hell.”

“So?”

“No, Emma. No. You don’t understand.”

Emma leaned back in her chair and smiled. “August, unlike you, I’m not trying to sleep with them, so I know how to act around women.” She stood up and made her way around August. “Watch and learn, my friend. Watch and learn.” Emma slipped past her friend and grabbed a new client folder from the stack in her office as she did so. The woman was sitting on one of the leather chairs in their waiting area. Her back was towards them. So far, all Emma could see was dark brown hair, a gray overcoat, and a pair of heels. “Hello, there, sorry to keep you waiting.” And just as she said that, the woman stood up, turned, and there went Emma, stumbling over her own two feet and almost falling completely on her face. She caught herself, shouting out Holy Shit as she did so, and dropped her new client folder. The papers went everywhere. “I am so sorry, ma’am. I don’t know what happened. I think I must have just tripped.”

“Oh, yes, there’s a loose board there, Emma,” August said, his words iced with sarcasm. Emma turned around from her kneeling position and glared at him.

As she stood, the woman walked over towards her. She held out a delicate hand, “I’m Regina Mills.”

Emma’s heart was in her throat. _What the hell is happening to me?_  Her eyes wandered over the brunette’s features, noticing immediately the small scar on the right hand side of her upper lip. The lips, of course were painted in a very red lipstick. Her eye makeup was flawless and her hair was styled perfectly. Clearly she came from money and the more Emma stood and gaped at her, the more nervous she became, especially since the woman clearly had no emotion and hadn’t even cracked a smile at Emma’s sheer lack of grace of almost falling face first into a reclaimed barnwood floor. “I’m Emma Swan. Detective Swan.”  She shook the outstretched hand, the warmth surprising her.

“I didn’t know that I would be working with a woman,” Regina said with an air of confidence Emma wasn’t sure what to do with.

The corner of Emma’s mouth turned upwards. “That makes two of us. Come with me. We can get comfortable in my office.”  She turned on her heel and made immediate eye contact with August. He knew what she was saying with just a look, which just so happened to be: _You're lucky I like you so much or I would fire your ass._ Emma closed the door behind Regina. “Can I take your coat?” She watched as unsteady fingers worked at the buttons on the gray coat and then shed it off of her bodice. Emma took the coat, hanging it on the hook next to the door. She made her way around the chair and sat down on one of the chairs on the side of the desk where the clients normally would sit.

Regina looked at Emma cautiously. “Excuse me, Miss Swan, aren’t you supposed to sit there?” She gestured towards the chair behind the desk. Hey eyes lingered on the chair next to Emma.

Emma smiled, “Yes. But I do things a little differently. I feel that sitting behind the desk is too impersonal. Does this bother you?” Emma noticed that the brunette looked as if she was going to crawl right out of her skin. “I can sit there if it does.” She went to get up when Regina stopped her.

“No, no. It’s fine. I’m just slightly nervous.”

Emma sat back in her chair. “No need to be nervous, Mrs. Mills. We are just going to talk right now.”

Regina moved around the chair. Her visible deep breath hitched in her throat as she slowly sat down. An uneasy sigh escaped from her lips. “I’m not usually a conversationalist. I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself.”

“Well, clearly there’s something you need to get off of your chest.”

“Yes.” Regina stared straight ahead. The large window in the office looked out onto Halsted Street. She could see Downtown Chicago perfectly. It calmed her in a way. Knowing that she was finally here.  Regina glanced over to her left at Emma. “I think my husband is planning to have me murdered.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Emma felt the corner of her mouth twitch as she took in what this woman had just said. “So,” she started, not really sure what to say. This definitely wasn’t the first time she’d heard someone talk about murder while they were in her office. Typically, though, it was always a noncommittal _I’ll kill her if she’s sleeping with the neighbor._ Emma cleared her throat, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Ms. Mills, but how do you know this? Exactly?”

Regina was already irritated. She uncrossed her legs and started to stand up. “You’re clearly not ready to take me seriously, Miss Swan. I’ll see myself out.”

“Wait!” Emma reached out and latched onto Regina’s wrist. She would swear later on that she could feel the brunette’s pulse thudding away. “Please. Don’t leave. I’m taking you seriously. I need to know what’s going on inside that head of yours, or whatever you want to hire me for won’t work. Okay?” She leaned forward slightly so she could look at the brunette. When she relented and finally looked at Emma, their eyes locked. “I promise I’m going to take you seriously.”

After a few beats of silence, Regina settled back into the chair. “I suppose if you’re ready to listen, I’m ready to try talking.”

“Okay.” Emma willed her heartbeat to slow down. She was almost short of breath. She watched Regina start to clasp and unclasp her watch. _A nervous tick,_ Emma thought.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Regina said softly.

“It’s alright that you are, though.”

“No, Miss Swan.” Regina shook her head and then looked at Emma again. “ _I’m not supposed to be here._ In Chicago. I ran away. I escaped.”

Emma sat back further in the chair and crossed her legs. She saw Regina’s eyes travel down her body, taking in her jeans and then her tall brown boots. She bobbed her leg and Regina’s eyes shot up to hers. Emma pursed her lips and then said, “So, you ran away from…?”

“A little town in Maine. I’m sure you’ve never heard of it before.”

“Try me.”

“Storybrooke.” Regina’s lips curved into a small smile as she glanced at Emma and the blonde’s small shake of the head. “Not many people are aware of it. It’s really a wonderful little town. Quaint, peaceful... so _very_ peaceful.”

Emma watched as Regina’s smile faded and her dark, dark eyes started to fill with tears. She wasn’t sure if she should say anything or put her hand over Regina’s or just sit there like a bump on a log. She settled for a small, “Mmhmm.” She rolled her eyes at herself. _Real smooth, Swan._

“Even though Storybrooke is right on the water, the tourist season is nonexistent. But one day, an outsider made his way into the town. He made his way into town, apparently, wanting to hunt and needing a hunting license. And stupidly, I fell for him. We were married 6 months after he arrived.” Regina paused. She stood up and slowly made her way over to the window, leaning against the wooden window frame. “This city is so beautiful,” she murmured, almost inaudibly. She could see the Chicago River just barely from the window. A small architecture tour boat was making its way up the river. Regina let out a soft breath of air and watched as the condensation built on the window. “I left because I wasn’t happy anymore and he wouldn’t let me divorce him.”

Emma let the silence that followed linger as she tilted her head to the side and looked at the woman standing by her office window. “Was he abusive?” she finally asked, her voice low.

Regina shook her head back and forth. “Not physically, no.”

“So verbally?”

“Yes.” Regina’s voice cracked.

“Okay.”

“Miss Swan?”

Emma stood up and made her way over to the window. She leaned her backside up against her desk, not wanting to crowd the brunette. “Yes?”

“He’s the Sheriff in Storybrooke and I was the mayor and it wouldn’t have looked good for us to get a divorce.” She looked back at Emma. “Do not underestimate me, Miss Swan. I can handle myself and I did for years. I don’t need your sympathy, so please save the soft voice and eyes for your other clients. I want to know what he’s planning, who he’s planning it with and I want to know how to stop him.”

Emma felt herself smile at Regina’s words. “Well, I’m glad to see you aren’t a scared, frightened woman. That would be so unattractive.”

Regina let out a small chuckle, smoothing the material of the black form fitting dress she was wearing. “I’m far from unattractive.”

“Yes, you are,” Emma replied.

“He knows I’m in Chicago.”

Emma’s face fell. “How do you know that?”

“Because he told me. By leaving one of his hunting arrows in the tire of my Mercedes Benz.”

“What the hell? He shot an arrow at your car in the middle of Chicago? Who does something like that?”

“Yes. He’s not one for being very subtle. Steal from the rich, give to the poor, shoot arrows at unsuspecting tires. A real charmer.”

Emma turned slightly, reaching behind her to grab the file folder she had placed on her desk. She opened the folder, grabbed a pen and clicked it out. “What’s his name?”

“Robin. Robin Locksley.”

Emma scribbled the name down. “Do you know where he’s currently residing?”

“No.”

“He obviously knows where you’re residing, though.”

Regina laughed. “I’m not sure if I should be impressed or distressed that you’re the detective I’ve found in Chicago,” she said as she looked back at the blond. “Miss Swan, please tell me you’re a far superior detective than a mere master of the obvious.”

Emma lifted her eyes up from the paper and quirked an eyebrow at the brunette. “Ms. Mills, I own this loft, plus the condo I live in, and a house in Michigan. I would say I get the job done and have enough clients to keep my bills paid.”

Regina tilted her head to the side, taking those words in. “Having money never means you’re good at what you do.”

“You’re right. You’re very right. But never missing the target, never letting a client down? That does mean something.”

“Very well. I suppose you’re right.”

“Now, why do you think you’re a target? Just because you ran away?”

“No. That’s not the only reason.” Regina turned and faced Emma.

Emma continued to scribble notes on the new client form. She kept adding in comments that Regina would never see. _Seriously?_ after the arrow in the tire. _Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor? Honestly?_ “Are you going to tell me the other reasons or do I have to guess?”

“Yes, I will tell you, eventually. I haven’t even decided if I am going to hire you yet.”

Emma picked her head up and glared at Regina. “So, who’s trying to kill you? Your husband or someone else?”

“Really, Miss Swan? You say it like it’s _just another day_.”

Emma was dumbfounded. Is this really what working with this woman was going to be like? A _constant_ battle?  “It _is_ just another day for me. I am a private investigator and before this I was on the Chicago Police force and before that I worked as a bail bondsperson. I know what I’m doing. I would totally appreciate it if you’d work with me here.”

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you’d stop being so nonchalant about the end of my life.”

“Lady, look. I do _not_ plan on you getting _murdered_. I’ll figure out who’s behind this, I’ll get the cops involved, and that’s the end of it.”

“No, that simply will not work. You alert me to who it is and I take it from there. The end.”

“Uh, sorry, no. That is not how this will work.”

“Yes, it is.” Regina made her way over to the small loveseat on the other side of the office and smoothly took a seat. “I do not want the cops involved. Period. No questions asked.”

“I’m not sure if I can do that. If you’re in danger the Police need to be involved eventually. I used to be a cop. I can’t just _not_ take that vow seriously now. I know people on the force and they will protect you.”

Regina’s elbows were propped up on her knees. She rested her head in her hands and then raked her fingers through her hair. Emma Swan was frustrating her to no end. “I cannot fathom how I can be more explicit,” she got out with an exasperated breath.

“But -”

“No, Miss Swan. Either you abide by the stipulations I have laid out or I take my business elsewhere.”

“Ms. Mills -”

Regina stood up abruptly and held her hand in the air. “Not another word. I’ve heard enough. Good day to you. I’ll see myself out.”

And with that, Emma watched with her mouth hanging open as Regina Mills took her coat, opened and was out the door to the office in one fluid movement. She heard August say, “Bye now!” after her and then the sliding of the door to signal her exit.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“What the hell was that all about, Em?” August poked his head into the office, arms crossed, holding the iPad Emma made him use to keep everything computerized close to his chest. Emma was still leaning against her desk, her mouth _still_ hanging open and her pen still in her hand poised to keep taking notes. “Why did that fine piece of ass just leave?”

Emma moved her eyes over to August and huffed. “Fine piece of ass? Really? More like a giant _pain in the ass_ and I honestly don’t know if I should go after her or just thank God that I don’t have to deal with it anymore!”

“Whoa, whoa, _whoa_. What happened?”

“What happened? What _happened_? Oh, I’ll tell you what happened. Her husband wants to have her killed and she wants me to figure out who’s trying to kill her so she can off the hired hit-man first. And no cops! No fucking cops for a case that will more than likely NEED COPS! That’s what happened. She’s a fucking nutcase, August. A nutjob. A loon.” Emma flung the paperwork across her office and then pushed her hands over her face and through her hair. She tugged at it and groaned. “What the fuck? I have never had a potential client come in here and treat me like such a second-class citizen. Who does she think she is? The fucking Queen? Yeah, fucking _Evil_ Queen. That’s what she is. What a complete waste of my time!”

August leaned against the door frame and smiled at Emma. “Oh, honey. You know you’re just mad because now I don’t get to try and have sex with her.”

“I hate you. You know that? I literally hate your guts.” Emma tried to be serious but started to laugh when August waggled his eyebrows at her and flexed his puny bicep under his leather jacket that he never seemed to be able to take off. “Shit. What should I do?”

“You go after her. Of course. It’s lost business if you don’t. And you never know, maybe she’ll change her mind about the cops?” August watched Emma grudgingly walk over and start picking up the papers from the file folder. “And she’s hot and it’d be a shame to let that one get away.”

“You realize that I am not interested in her, right? I like men.”

August let out a small puff of air. “You don’t find her attractive at all?”

“Well, yes, she’s beautiful, but August, again, I like men. I sleep with men. Men. Hairy chests, penises, broad shoulders. Men.” Emma paused for a moment as she sank to her knees on the area rug. “Not like I’m getting anywhere with men. I just can’t find the right one. And Henry’s dad is just… You know. I just like men, though. I mean, right? I need a man for Henry. I need to be able to figure my life out with a guy by my side.” She glanced over at August. He was watching her intently. “Right?”

“Oh, sure.”

“Seriously, you drive me nuts.” She looked away from him, a strange feeling washing over her. “She was _really_ pretty, wasn’t she?”

“Mmhmm.”

Emma shook her head and exclaimed, “Who cares? I don’t even care. She’s straight. I’m straight. It’s just not gonna happen. Stop. Stop egging this on.”

“Mmhmm.”

Just as that mmhmm left August’s mouth, Emma noticed something about the forms from Regina Mills’ file folder. “Oh no!” she cried out.

“What?”

“It wouldn’t frigging matter if I thought she was hot or not because I won’t be able to chase after her! I never had her fill out her portion of the paperwork! Dammit! I was all flustered and son of a BITCH, I never do this.”

August let out a very humble laugh as he took the iPad and flipped through the different screens. The customer relationship application that he never wanted to start using had actually become one of his favorite parts about the move from a typewriter to the 21st century. “Emma, honey, you know I always take down the address and phone number of anyone that makes an appointment, right?” He looked down at her on the floor and waited for her eyes to travel over to him. “Oh, you don’t know that? Ohhhh… isn’t that a _shame_? Well, I _do_ have her address and her phone number and I even have her email address.” He flipped the cover closed on the iPad. “What do the kids say these days? ‘Boom’? That’s right, right?”

Emma felt her entire body release the stress that had been building up since the minute Regina Mills entered her life. A hearty laugh escaped from her throat, “I love you, August. I take back the hate. I love, love, love you.”

“Good. Now get up. You don’t have any other clients today.” He held out his hand and Emma accepted it as he yanked her off the floor. She started to laugh when he nudged her softly with his shoulder. “You know I’ll always look out for you.”

“I know you will, August.” And she did. He had been taking care of her since they were in the foster system together. And they would always have each other’s backs.   

* * *

 

Emma looked down again at the address on her phone. _Lake Shore and Division._  She slid her phone into the back pocket of her skinny jeans and put her hands back into the pockets of the red leather jacket she had put on this morning. The temperature was dropping and it _smelled_ like snow. She could feel it in her joints, too. Damn Chicago winters were going to be the death of her.

She stood outside of a Starbucks after grabbing a hot chocolate and tightened her scarf a little bit more around her neck. She took off toward the building on foot, so she could get the lay of the land. Emma had walked the streets of Chicago while she was on the Police force, always keeping her eyes peeled. And it was no different now. She knew these roads like the back of her hand.

It was going to take her about 25 minutes to walk from the office to the apartment building on Lake Shore Drive. As she walked, she started to think about her conversation with August. It really was a horrible feeling knowing that she hadn’t been able to find someone to share her life with, aside from Henry. A different man every now and then never turned into anything with substance. Sometimes the guys would really try. They’d call, they’d ask her out, they’d act interested. But she just _wasn’t_. She wanted to find The One. The person that would complete her and make her see the world differently. The person that would love Henry and protect him, too. Most of the guys she ended up dating heard about Henry and that was the end of it. One of the guys she was dating actually told her that he didn’t need the additional baggage. _What a cock._

She walked right past the building at first, knowing that she should case the joint by doing a walk around the block. This wasn’t going to be easy trying to watch for an assailant, even if she did decide to take the job. There were people everywhere and this particular part of Lake Shore Drive always had people milling about - even at night. There were people with hoods everywhere and people carrying bags and backpacks. Everyone looked suspicious. There was never a lull, making her realize that she’d need to find a spot somewhere down the street to host a stake-out.

Emma deposited her empty cup into a trash bin and then made her way over to the building. She stood by the door and leaned her head back. She whistled, knowing that this place definitely cost a pretty penny. She pushed herself through the revolving door and approached the doorman who was sitting behind a very ornate desk with a granite countertop. He was an elderly gentleman, probably pushing 70. How was she going to get through this guy? She had no idea. Maybe her Emma Swan charm would work? He still hadn’t looked up at her. Maybe he was deaf? Yeah, probably… _I’ll just try to sneak past him_. She tried to walk as lightly as possible past the desk, when the gruffest sound she had ever heard asked, “And where do you think you’re going, missy?” He never looked up, either. Emma was impressed.

“Hello there, sir,” she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. She flashed her megawatt smile and felt her hair fell over her shoulder.

“Is someone expecting you?” His eyes bore straight into her soul. And his eyebrows were so thick and bushy, Emma swore they were caterpillars.

“Yes, I am most definitely expected. Regina Mills. Floor 10, apartment 8. She’s most definitely expecting me. I mean, I’m expected. Yes.”

The old man adjusted his large, black glasses. “Look here, missy, I am not going to fall for this whole try to pull one over on the old guy at the door act, so whatever you’re sellin’, Ms. Mills ain’t buying it and neither am I.”

Emma gaped at him. “Sir, I promise you that she’s more than likely expecting me. If you don’t believe me, call her.”

“I have been instructed to not let anyone up to see her under any circumstances. And I am to never call her. Are you trying to get me fired here? You young whippersnappers are all the same. Don’t care at all for the elderly.”

“Mr.,” Emma squinted at his nametag and cursed herself that she hadn’t received a new prescription for her contacts lately. “Mr. Fredricksen, I can assure you I am not selling anything.” She slid her business card across the countertop and smiled. “I’m a private investigator,” she said in a hushed tone. “And Ms. Mills has hired me. I promise.”

He eyed the card, making sure to look through the bifocal portion of his glasses, and then looked up at Emma. She grinned at him and then he looked back at the card. He flipped it over, held it up to the light, smelled it, and then slid it right back to her. “Are you armed?”

“Absolutely not. Come pat me down.” She held her arms out and stepped away from the countertop.

Mr. Fredricksen raised a bushy brow at her and smiled. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve had to pat anyone down, miss.” He let out a long sigh; his breath smelled like stale coffee. “Okay. I’ll ring you up. Do not make me regret this, lady.”

“I won’t! I swear. Thank you so much.” Emma hurried over to the elevator. “Thank you again, Mr. Fredricksen. Thank you!” She slid past the doors and pressed 10. She hoped that Regina wouldn’t fire Mr. Fredricksen for breaking her rules.

She took a right out of the elevator and found the number 8 apartment. She raised her hand to knock on the door and realized then that she was shaking. What if this woman really was crazy? What if this unexpected visit freaked her out? Fuck, what if she wasn’t home? _Shit, Emma, just knock on the damn door._ She waited after knocking, wondering if she just turned and sprinted away would she make it without being seen.

The door opened a small amount, a chain still holding it mostly closed. “Miss Swan. What do you want?” Her full lips were pressed together, and from this angle, the scar on her upper lip was very prominent. Emma couldn’t even remember noticing it in her office earlier. The other thing Emma noticed? Regina was most definitely irritated.

“Regina… Ms. Mills, I need to talk to you.”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Regina was going to pluck out Carl Fredricksen's heart. She had told him under no circumstances should he allow anyone past him and now Emma Swan was standing in front of her apartment. Aside from her psychotic husband, Miss Swan was quite possibly the last person she wanted to see. "How did you even get up here?" she asked after she closed the door in Emma's face, slid the chain off of the hook, and then reopened it. Her fingers drummed against the wooden doorframe. "I left explicit instructions for Mr. Fredricksen. He's going to  _definitely_ be hearing from me."

"No, wait, please. Don't do anything to him. I sweet-talked him. Please, please,  _please_ don't get him fired."

Regina's dark eyes met the emerald green of Emma's and saw the honest pleading held within them. A tiny smile graced her lips as she said, "I'd be the one to fire him, Miss Swan. I am the one that hired him, after all. I own this building."

Emma's mouth dropped open. "Seriously? What the hell? Being the mayor of Storybrooke must have been very lucrative."

"Oh, no. That's not how I… it's… it's family money," the brunette said softly. She opened the door wider and motioned for Emma to come in. "You might as well enter since I very much doubt this visit will be a short one."

Emma clenched her jaw and then walked a few steps into the upscale apartment. She heard the door close behind her, followed by the locking of the locks and the securing of the chain. They stood together in the entryway of the apartment. Silence. It was almost deafening. As far as she could tell from what she could see while she stood in the hallway area, the apartment was as cold as the woman standing in front of her. White walls, dark wood floors, black accents, a splash of red here and there. It was so clean, so pristine. It was exactly what Emma would not have chosen for herself, but it fit Regina Mills to a tee. Emma shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier." She waited for some sort of emotion from Regina, but of course received none. "I just, you can't, like, come into my office and practically insult me. I'm a professional, believe it or not. I've been doing this for years. I'm a damn good detective, I know what I'm doing and honestly, if someone is trying to murder you and you don't want me to get the authorities involved, I really don't know if I'm the right person for the job. I mean, as much as I may not like you, and your shitty fucking attitude, I do not want your blood on my hands when all it would have taken is for me to go to the cops. You have to realize that." Emma pulled a hand out of her pocket and pushed her blond hair behind her ear. She was rambling. And her voice had kind of gone up an octave. And she was fidgeting with her hair now. And son of a bitch, she was totally squirming like a damn schoolgirl. This woman, God dammit, this woman made her want to combust. "Are you going to fucking say  _anything_?" Emma spat out finally not being able to hold in her anger anymore.

Her words were met with silence. And then, "Would you like a drink?"

Emma let out a laugh. " _Seriously?_ " Regina's face was as stoic as ever. "Well, shit. Yeah, I guess so." She watched Regina about face on her bare feet and head towards what she assumed was the kitchen. She was still dressed in the black, skintight dress from earlier and her hair swayed left and right as she walked. "Should I follow you or…" her voice trailed off as Regina turned a corner and disappeared.

"Unless you want to drink this cider by the front door whilst standing up in those thrift shop boots, I would suggest following me," Regina said, her voice traveling through the empty hall and into the entryway.

Emma rolled her eyes as she unzipped her leather jacket, took off her scarf and hung both items on the row of hooks by the door. "Right." She bent down and unzipped her boots.  _Thrift shop?_  She had paid good money on these boots! She kicked them off and padded toward the sound of Regina's voice and the tinkling of ice in glasses. She glanced down at her socks and immediately felt uneasy when Yoda stared up at her. She had put on a pair of Star Wars socks this morning. Of fucking course.  _Great._ Emma caught her reflection in the large mirror hanging in the hallway. She quickly checked her eye makeup and fluffed the curls in her hair. Some would call it primping. Emma called it making sure she, y'know, looked professional.

Emma turned the corner into a living area. Regina was in the very modern and contemporary kitchen to the left, pouring a concoction from a decanter into glass tumblers. The brunette pushed the glass across the marble countertop, raised her glass in the air when Emma picked hers up, and said, with a voice huskier than normal, "Bottom's up."

"You didn't poison this, did you?"

Regina looked at Emma over the top of her glass, her left eyebrow rising. "No, Miss Swan. I did not. Believe me, though, if I was going to poison you, I wouldn't use cider as the vehicle of delivery." She watched Emma take a sip of the drink and then rounded the countertop. She practically glided into the open concept living area. "Would you like to have a seat?"

Emma nodded, walked over to the white leather chair and ottoman and sat gingerly down on top of the ottoman. "This drink is… it's good." She took a long sip from it and smiled. It was fizzy and interesting and if she didn't know better, she'd swear there wasn't an ounce of alcohol in it.

"I make it myself. A little cocktail I've been working on for years. I'd like to think that I mirrored it after myself, my personality."

Emma hummed. "It's not sour or bitter, so I kind of disagree with you."

"Touché, dear. Touché." Regina smiled with her full, red lips as she leaned forward and sat the tumbler on the glass coffee table.

"I wasn't interrupting anything, was I?" Emma glanced around the apartment, there was a large screen TV hung on the wall, but it wasn't on.

"No. You weren't. I was just," Regina picked up the book on the coffee table, "Reading." She set it down next to her and smoothed a hand over the cover. "So, tell me, why are you gracing me with your presence?"

Emma downed the rest of her drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "At first, I wanted to tell you off face to face, because you were a giant bitch to me earlier today and it really pissed me off. But then, I've been thinking. A lot." Emma took a deep breath, "And I think you should hire me, because I'm going to help you." The blonde watched those dark, chocolate eyes lighten just a bit.

"And what about the police?"

"Well," Emma started and then paused. She looked down at her empty glass. So many things had been out of Emma's control for most of her life. Being bounced around from foster home to foster home and never really knowing where she fit in… It was a burden and heartache but she found her way through all of that. And now, now she was feeling that same nagging desire to pick up everything and run. She, for once in her life, couldn't run. She couldn't just up and move Henry away from everything familiar and safe. He had friends and a great school and a  _life_. He was happy here. If only Emma had found that same happiness. Being happy seemed almost like a pipe dream these days. She had friends. Of course, she had friends, friends that were as close as any family she could have ever hoped to have. Her job was fun and the money was great, but at the end of the day there was always something missing. Maybe excitement and a little, itty bitty,  _teeeeensy_  amount of possible danger would help. She let out a very heavy sigh, "I won't go to the police. But!" Emma raised her free hand and pointed at Regina. "You have to tell me  _everything._ And I mean everything. All the details. You cannot hold anything back from me. Even if something new happens, you have to tell me the minute it happens. Any errors could obviously be fatal and really? The last thing I fucking need is someone shooting an arrow at the wheel of my Beetle while my  _son_ is driving it."

Regina's face softened almost instantly. "You have a son?" Her voice was almost a whisper.

Emma couldn't control the smile that spread across her pink lips. "Yeah, Henry. He's 16... going on 25."

"I had no idea."

"You don't really know me at all, Ms. Mills." Emma's eyes found Regina's across the room. "If anything happens where he's put in danger, I'm out and I swear to everything Holy I'm going to the cops immediately. Do you hear me?"

"I suppose that's fair."

"You bet your ass that's fair." Emma leaned forward and propped her elbows on her knees. "You will listen to everything that I say. The first order being that you will never travel to my condo by yourself. I can't risk anyone that's following you knowing about Henry. If I need you at any time, I will figure out a way to get you to wherever I need you." Regina nodded her head as Emma spoke. "Next? You cannot drive anywhere anymore."

"I hardly think driving -"

"Listen to me. These are my rules now. You cannot drive  _anywhere anymore_. No cabs. No public transportation. Do not get on the El; do not get on the bus." Emma let out a chuckle. "You probably would never do that anyway, would you?" Regina shrugged and then pursed her lips together. "So, no more Mercedes-Benz and please, for the love of Pete, don't do anything stupid. Leave your apartment only when I tell you to."

"What about groceries?"

"Delivery service."

"Take-out?"

"Delivery service."

"Spa services?" Regina sighed. "Let me guess. 'Delivery service'."

"Welcome to Chicago, lady." Emma let out a chuckle, "You can get anything delivered to you. And tell Mr. Fredricksen that you are very serious about him not letting anyone else in. Ever. And clear my name so I don't have to sweet talk him whenever I want to see you." Their eyes met and Emma felt her cheeks flush. "I mean, whenever I need to see you. Wait, not like I'll ever  _need_  to see you. Y'know, whatever. You know what I mean, right?"

Regina's gentle curve of her lips and the raising of her eyebrow made Emma's pulse quicken. "I do," she responded with an air of superiority. Regina had a feeling she had the upper hand with the blonde and all of the stammering and blushing of the cheeks and the Star Wars socks solidified that feeling. "Miss Swan, you are presenting me with an awful lot of rules. You can't just lock me into my apartment. I've survived so far."

"Come on," Emma exasperated. "You're hiring me, right? So, listen to me. Don't leave, don't drive, and clear me with Mr., Fredricksen. Three rules. If you think that's a lot, wait until I find out you're breaking any of them." Emma stood up, "I'm getting more to drink. Do you need more?" The longer she talked, the more that first drink started affecting her. She wasn't  _shy, rambling Emma_  any longer. She was  _demanding and in charge Emma_  and she felt much more at ease with herself like this.

Regina raised an eyebrow and nodded. She wasn't quite sure how to act with this woman barking orders at her. This would have never happened in Storybrooke. She watched the blonde walk away, the outline of her phone in the back pocket of her skinny jeans catching her eye. Regina tore her eyes away from Emma's backside and found a spot on the floor to focus on. She heard Emma pour herself another glass of cider and then walk over to top her own glass off. "Thank you."

After depositing the decanter to the glass coffee table for easy access, Emma plopped down next to Regina on the couch, pulled her feet up underneath her and turned to face the brunette. "Now tell me the whole story. Do not spare the details and for fuck's sake, do not leave anything out."

* * *

 

Emma listened as Regina Mills, in a very clear, organized way, outlined the events of the rise and the demise of her marriage. Robin Locksley rolled into Storybrooke looking for a good place to set up camp to hunt the elk that migrated down from the Appalachian Mountains. Normally the elk never wandered too far into the sleepy area of Storybrooke, but with the cooler summers they had been having, the elk were definitely making their way into the surrounding forest. Robin wandered into town, bought a hunting license and never left. After meeting Robin while he was eating at a local restaurant called Granny's -

"Seriously? Granny's?"

"Yes, Miss Swan, are you going to let me tell you the story or are you going to interrupt me?"

\- they quickly, almost too quickly for Emma's keen sense of lying and liars, started dating and proceeded to get married. But not before Robin was elected to be the new town Sheriff, after the old one mysteriously disappeared.

Right after their marriage, Regina noticed that Robin had a very short fuse. He was always on edge, always ready to fight, and not very affectionate. Regina figured it was just his nature. She admitted softly that she was so eager to be loved and so in love - or so she thought - with him that she brushed it under the rug.

About 6 months after their marriage, Regina heard Robin come in, clomp around the house, and then try to sneak out the back. She was obviously very accustomed to living alone, so she knew the sounds in the house very well. She knew he went out the back door and if he didn't think she heard him he was an imbecile. Regina slipped out of bed and stole downstairs. With the dark kitchen as her veil, she watched as Robin pried up a patio board and pulled out a suitcase. When he flipped it open, the contents were not visible from Regina's vantage point. Needless to say, after she narrowly escaped him catching her spying on him, she plotted and found a way to pry up the board when he wasn't home.

When she flipped the suitcase open, the amount of money she saw inside said case made her lose her breath. Tens of thousands of dollars must have been in there.

"Did you touch the money?"

"Absolutely not! I zipped the case closed and put it right back where I found it. But when I went back to look for it about a week later, it was gone. I figured he got wise to me knowing about it and moved it. I had no idea that it had been stolen and I really did not know he suspected me."

"So, when did you decide to leave?" Emma asked before she took a long sip of her now third glass of cider.

Regina was rubbing her hands. Clasping and unclasping her watch. Smoothing her dress. Looking like the absolute last thing she wanted to do was talk about what had happened next. Her chest was rising and falling with each deep breath she took and Emma had half a mind to tell her to skip that part. Obviously the brunette was struggling. Just when she thought Regina was going to clam up and not carry on, she took a deep breath and said, "He threatened me the night the money went missing." Her voice cracked as she continued, "He pushed me up against the wall of the bedroom, put his hand around my neck and told me if I didn't give him the money back I was as good as dead. I swore to him that I didn't know what he was talking about and that I did not have any money! But he didn't care. He was livid. And I will be very honest; I was so scared that the only thing I could imagine was escaping. I put all of my clothing in my Mercedes and I left the next day while he was at work."

"How long have you been here in Chicago then?"

"Almost two years. I had so much money,  _so much money_. My father had passed away and left everything to me years before Robin came into town. Robin knew about the money - because I trusted him and told him - and I'm sure some of that money in the suitcase was mine, but I didn't care. I knew I could survive and I  _have_ survived. My father already owned half of this building - a safe haven of sorts. So, when I arrived, I bought the rest of the units that weren't occupied. New management, if you will. I built a life for myself here, Miss Swan. Away from him, away from Storybrooke, and away from fear and insecurities." Regina took a deep breath and finally, after the entire time the story was told, looked up at Emma's green eyes. "I did not steal that money. I promise you. I ran away because it wasn't the first time he was physical with me and obviously it wouldn't have been the last. I ran away because I made a stupid mistake and married a man I didn't know. I ran away because I wanted out and he wouldn't let go of me. The money was the last straw. I had no idea he was going to chase after me. I'm not sure how he found me, either. I have never told anyone that I am here. Not a single person. Not even my mother knows where I am." Regina never took her eyes off of Emma.

And Emma, for the first time, saw real emotion behind Regina's eyes. There was this overwhelming urge to touch her hand, to offer support or a lifeline. She chose not to, though.  _Stay stoic, Emma._  "I believe you," Emma said softly. "I'll figure this out. I can guarantee that."

"Okay," Regina whispered. They sat together in silence for a few short moments before Regina spoke again. "Miss Swan?"

Emma smiled, "Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now get some rest. I need to get home to Henry." Emma went to stand up and wobbled a little on her feet. "Whoa, it's safe to say that your cider is stronger than it seems."

Regina stood up and instinctively placed a hand on Emma's back, steadying her. "I told you I mirrored it after myself."

"Ahh, look at you. Well played, Ms. Mills." And with that, Emma handed her glass over, readied herself for the outside elements, leaving Regina standing there holding both empty tumblers. For the first time in the almost two years Regina had been in Chicago she felt an easy feeling wash over her. She certainly hoped it lasted.

Emma peeled her jeans off and threw on a pair of oversized sweatpants, followed by pulling a Chicago Bears sweatshirt on over her braless body. She was beat and Henry wasn't home yet, which meant the TV was hers. She plopped down on the sectional couch and sprawled out on the chaise portion. She turned on the 6:00 news and smiled. "This is the life." Just as those words left her mouth, she heard the door open and slam closed, a backpack dropped on the floor, shoes being flung off, and a scuffle of feet coming towards her. She looked up just as a 16-year-old boy jumped on top of her and started tickling her sides. "HENRY!"

* * *

 

"Hi, ma!" He shouted as he continued to try to tickle her. He was laughing hysterically, as was his mother and he loved every second of it.

Emma finally got the upper hand and was able to flip him onto his back. She promptly sat on his stomach and looked down at him. "You done?"

He was laughing so hard that Emma was shaking from the tremors. "Yes, I'm done."

"You sure?"

"YES!" He continued to giggle and it just made Emma's heart smile.

"Good." Emma removed herself from her son's stomach and jumped back onto the chaise area of the couch. She leaned back and pumped her fists in the air. "I win!"

"Oh, come on. You know I have to let the elderly win."

"Henry, you are going to get it," Emma responded, throwing one of the decorative pillows at him. "How was your day?"

"It was okay. I was at the Boys and Girls Club tutoring a couple of students. There's this one kid, ma. Man, he had absolutely no idea how to, like, y'know, factor a polynomial, but I got him to understand it by the time we were done. It was so awesome. He was smiling like how I do on a sugar high; he was so excited." Emma felt herself grinning while he talked. She propped her elbow onto the back of the couch and held her head up with her hand and watched him. "And then Lucy. You remember her, right?" Emma nodded. "Yeah, the girl in the wheelchair. She was so happy today because I guess she took her biology test and aced it." Henry thrust his fist towards Emma, "Blow it up!"

Emma let out a laugh as she mimicked his actions and they both made their fists blow up. "Oh, kid, you're such a good guy. How in the world did you get like this?"

"Um, because you raised me this way, duuuuh." Henry stood up and went over to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and stared inside at its contents. "What's for dinner?"

"Well, I just got home about 37 seconds before you did, so I was thinking maybe we could just order Chinese?"

Henry turned around from the refrigerator, his eyes huge. "Really?"

"Oh, my gosh, yes. Why are you so excited?"

"Fortune cookies, ma! That's totally like, the highlight of my day some days. 'You shall meet new people and prosper' - um, thank you for telling me that, fortune cookie!" Henry's hearty chuckle made Emma roll her eyes at him.

"You really are a dork. You know that, right?"

"No, ma. I'm a geek. Two completely different things."

"True, true." Emma leaned her head back on the back of the couch and sighed. "Henry?"

"Yeah?"

She heard him shuffle his way back over to the couch and felt him fall into the cushions on the opposite side of the couch. "I took a new case today."

"Okay. And?"

"Tomorrow night you'll have to stay with Mary Margaret and David and go to school from there."

"Sweet!"

"And I have to ask you to do something for me."

"Oh, no. What is it?" He whined, looking over at his mother.

Emma's eyes met Henry's eyes. "Remember what I told you about how to know if someone's following you?"

"Like in the car?"

"Yeah. But on foot, too."

"Yep. If I think someone looks suspicious, cross the street at a crosswalk and then go the opposite direction towards Aunt Mary Margaret and Uncle David's. If I'm driving, slow down, don't speed up and then go to a police station."

Emma smiled, "Good boy."

Henry picked his head up from the pillow on the couch. "I'm not allowed to know what this is all about, am I?"

"Nope."

"Okay." Henry put his head back down and whispered, "Sure would like those fortune cookies right about now."

Emma shook her head and groaned. "Bring me my phone."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“Video camera?”

“Check.”

“Binoculars?”

“Check.”

“Microphone and digital voice recorder?”

“Check and check.”

“Night vision lens?”

“Check.”

“Fritos?”

Emma looked up from her list of equipment. “Are you kidding me?”

“Em, come on. You know I can’t be on a stakeout in a van for hours on end and not have something to munch on.” August pulled a reusable Whole Foods bag from behind the countertop in the kitchenette. “I already shopped for all the snacks. No worries.”

Emma stood up and walked over towards him and the bag of goodies. Fritos, a bag of popcorn, pretzels, peanut butter M&Ms. She started to laugh when she picked up a jar of pickles. “Are you pregnant?”

“Ha, no. But speaking of me being pregnant, remember that new hire I wanted to talk to you about?”

“August, that literally has _nothing to do_ with you being pregnant. You are seriously going to be the death of me. Do not tell me you invited her to come tonight.”

He flashed his adorable smile at her and stretched his arms across the counter so his hands were resting on Emma’s shoulders. “You are going to love her. I promise. And I haven’t slept with this one!”

“Bonus!” Emma exclaimed, sarcasm dripping from the word. She moved over to behind August’s desk to gather up more paperwork and materials.

“Are you nervous about this stakeout?”

Emma fell into August’s chair and sighed. “Yessss… I am. I am so nervous about it and it’s driving me nuts.”

“Well,” August started with a little nod of his head. “You haven’t really ever had to worry about being shot with an arrow before.”

A chuckle bubbled out of Emma’s mouth, August followed her lead and then it turned into a full-fledged laugh fest for both of them. Emma wiped at the tears streaking her cheeks. “Holy shit, August. That was good.”

“I know, I’m funny! It’s why you love me so much.” August paused and then said Emma’s name. She looked up at him and he smiled. “I’ll never let some asshole shoot you with an arrow. Okay?”

The corner of Emma’s mouth curved up. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

* * *

 

As Emma finished loading the last of the equipment into the black conversion van they used for surveillance outings, she heard August let out a low whistle. She lifted her head to see a tall, thin girl come trotting up to them. Her almost black hair had streaks of red throughout and was pulled into a braid. She was wearing skin tight leather pants, a white button down that was tied into a knot at the bottom and black, tall, leather high heeled boots. “Ruby!” August said as he gathered the girl into his arms.

“Auggie, how are you, babycakes?”

“I’m doing really well! I’m so glad you’re coming with tonight. It’s going to be a real snooze fest.” August turned and pointed at Emma. “This is Emma Swan. Emma, this is Ruby Lucas.”

Emma held out her hand and was surprised when Ruby pushed it to the side and held her arms wide. “Hugs. That’s all I do. C’mere.”

Emma bit her lip and glanced at August before relenting and accepting the hug. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said with a laugh.

“Same here, Emma. I’ve heard _so much_ about you!” Ruby pulled out of the hug and then stepped to the side, admiring the van. She let out a soft, “Whoop, whoop,” and then climbed inside. “Let’s get this party started!”

Emma and August let out laughs, exchanged looks and then proceeded to climb into the van. Emma took the driver’s seat.  She turned and looked back at Ruby and August through the opening to the back of the van. “Okay, here’s the deal. Absolutely no leaving the van once we get there. You have to pee? You hold it until the time is right. You need more food? Tough. You keep your eyes peeled, you watch the video monitor, and you listen to the audio recorder. You pay attention, please.”

Ruby mock saluted Emma and smiled. “Aye, aye, Detective!”

“She’s such a hard ass,” August hissed into Ruby’s ear.

Emma picked up her phone and found Regina’s contact information. She held the phone up to her ear and waited for Regina to answer the phone.

“Hello, Miss Swan.”

“Oh, good. You put me in your phone.”

“I did.”

Emma took a deep breath. “We are headed out to start the stakeout. Has anything suspicious happened in the last 12 hours?”

“No, nothing has happened. I’ve finished two books, started a third. You realize I’ve just been trapped inside of my apartment, correct?”

Emma could hear the smile in Regina’s voice. “So, you’re actually listening to me. Shocking.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. I’m just taking your _advice_ into consideration.”

“ _Rules_ , Ms. Mills.”

“ _Advice_ , Miss Swan.” Emma heard Regina take a deep breath on the other end of the line. “Are you at all nervous about this?”

Emma let out a forced laugh. “Me? Nervous? No way.” _Liar._ “I’ve done this a thousand times or more. No worries.” _Still lying._

“Okay.”

There was a rather uncomfortable silence on the phone when Emma went to say something and Regina said, “I cleared your name with Mr. Fredricksen, too. But should you find it necessary to intrude on my _very busy_ schedule, you should come in through the parking garage. No one will see you then. The code is 0201.”

Emma felt her heart leap into her throat for some reason. “Alright. That sounds a lot easier. Although, I’m sure I would have ended up being great friends with Mr. F.”

Emma’s smile was hard to hide when Regina’s laugh came through the phone. “Mr. F?”

“Yes, definitely. He looks like a Mr. F.”

“Are you two going to wrap this up anytime soon?” August interrupted as he leaned up and pressed his face through the small opening in the door to the back of the van.

“August, shut up.” Emma pushed the phone to her body. “Stop.” She brought it back up to her ear. Okay, I’ll let you go. Please call me if you need me.”

“I hardly doubt I’ll need you. Good luck.”

Another smile plastered itself across the blonde’s face. “When you’re good you don’t need luck. Bye, Ms. Mills.”

A soft chuckle was the response, followed by an even softer, “Goodbye.”

Emma hung up the phone and glanced into her rearview mirror to where both August and Ruby were staring at her through the opening. “What?!”

“Nothing, Em. Well, no, it’s _something_ , but nothing. I just don’t know if I have seen that goofy smile before.”

“Yes you have. It’s my smile. It’s the same smile I always have. Now sit back and shut up. We’re going.” And with that, Emma started the van and pulled out of the parking garage, heading north towards Regina Mills apartment building.

* * *

 

“Truth or Dare?”

“Oh my god, are you kidding me? We’re supposed to be paying attention here.”

“Em, nothing has happened in the last four hours and I’ll be honest, if I don’t get to go pee soon, I’m going to have to break your rule and leave the van.” August chomped loudly on a handful of Fritos and said, “I need to take my mind off of waterfalls and large bodies of water. So, Truth or Dare?”

“Fine,” Emma relented. “But I’m not going first. Ruby, you go first.”

“Well, I’ll go with Truth since clearly I can’t really leave the van if there’s a Dare.”

Emma smiled, “You’re definitely catching on and not complaining as much as this schmuck, Ruby.”

Ruby’s smile was almost blinding in the darkness of the van. “Thank you.”

“Oh, whatever. Okay, fine, Truth. Why have you never wanted to have sex with me?” August asked with a sad pouty face.

Emma rolled her eyes.

Ruby sighed. “We’ve been over this a hundred times, Auggie. Because you’re my best guy friend. I’ve fucked up a relationship like that before and I’m not doing that again. Also, that was a lame Truth question.  Emma, your turn, Truth because of the whole no Dare thing.”

“ _Shit_. Can’t you just dare me to do something inside the van? Like, burp on command or shove a whole pickle in my mouth?” Her questions were met with a blank stare. “Fine. Okay. Go.”

August started to laugh. “Emma hates Truth. She would have done anything you dared her to, obviously.”

“Ohhhh, I see. You’re one of those, eh? Doesn’t like talking about herself.” Ruby smiled. “Awesome. Okay, let’s see… Why are you so afraid to admit that you kind of like this Regina woman?”

Emma’s eyes widened as she looked from Ruby to August and then back to Ruby. “What are you talking about?”

“Nope, you have to answer the question.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, though. She hired me to figure this out. I am figuring it out. The end. No feelings.”

Both August and Ruby said, in unison, “Mmhmm.”

“What?!”

“Emma, honey, I don’t even know you and I could tell that _something_ was there. You were like a lovesick schoolgirl when you were on the phone with her. If your phone would have had a phone cord, you would have been twirling it. It’s okay, though. I mean, it’s okay if you like a woman.”

“Nope. You’re crazy. Nothing is there.”

“ _Something_ is most definitely there, right, Rubes?” August nudged Ruby with his foot. She nodded enthusiastically, winking at August.

“Stop. Both of you. I’ve known this woman for all of 48 hours. I know absolutely nothing about her-”

“Except that she’s drop dead gorgeous,” August interrupted.

Emma rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t like Ms. Mills like that. I’m just working for her. Period.” Emma continued to watch the monitors in the van. Nothing had happened, but she was just waiting to miss something and she would feel so awful if she did. “I really don’t know why either one of you think this, though. I’m just a nice person. That’s all.”

A huff came from August. “Sure.”

Just as Emma went to make a rebuttal, her phone started to vibrate with a call. She glanced at the time on the computer monitor screen and then at her phone. “It’s her. Stop talking, both of you.” She answered the phone, almost too frantically.

“Miss Swan?” Regina was breathing heavily, her voice was shaking.

“Yes.”

“Are you still outside?”

“Yes. All night.”

“An arrow was just delivered to me. It has a note on it. It says, ‘Found you,’ and I’m - I don’t know what - I opened a box that was delivered to me and it was in there.” Regina was obviously frantic.

“Holy shit. Okay, who delivered it?”

“Mr. Fredricksen. He brought up my mail around 9 pm and I just _now_ decided to open the box. I was making dinner earlier and I was caught up with the music and cookies and I didn’t open it then so I opened it now and I’m not sure what to do. It was, it was with the stack of mail. And I just thought it was the books I had ordered so of course I didn’t tear into them yet. And I’m 99% positive that presently I’m experiencing the beginning stages of a panic attack.” Regina took a very deep breath and let it out, “What should I do? What am I going to do?”

Emma could hear the legit panic and fear in the brunette’s voice. Instinct took over as she said forcefully, “Don’t move. I’m coming up.” She hung up the phone and grabbed her black North Face parka. “The minute I’m out of this van, you take off. Make sure no one is following you, go back to the office. The stakeout’s over.” She reached under the counter in the van where the video monitors sat and unsnapped a gun from the holster secured there. She threw her shoulder holster on in one fluid movement. After checking to make sure that the gun was loaded and had a full clip, she slid it into its holding location.

“Whoa, Emma, what the hell? Where are you going?” August asked, his eyes wide at the sight of the gun.

“She’s in trouble. An arrow was delivered to her and she’s a mess. I’m going to make sure she’s okay.”

“You need to bring a gun?”

“August, come on. I know you hate guns, but I used to be a cop, remember? I know what I’m doing.”

Ruby put her hand on August’s leg. “She’ll be alright. I have a good feeling.”

August let out a sigh. “Be safe, Em.”

“Yeah, Emma, don’t do anything stupid,” Ruby said with a soft voice. She smiled, “I kinda like this job.”

Emma laughed and pulled her hood up over her head. “I’ll text you both. Remember, take off; don’t let anyone follow you.” She pulled the lever and the door popped open. Very carefully, she climbed out of the van as nonchalantly as possible. She gently closed the door and looked around. It looked clear, but who knew? If this asshole was a hunter, he probably had her in his sights already. Hopefully, though, Robin - or whomever he was working with - was long gone. Emma made her way down the street and then crossed where she knew she could access the parking garage with ease. She found the coded entryway and typed the code in. The door buzzed and she pushed her way inside the garage. It was a huge, well lit area. She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. Once she found the elevator, her heart beat settled down significantly.

The doors opened onto the first floor. She slid her gun out of the holster and took the safety off. Slowly she exited the elevator, clearing each direction, her gun pointed at the floor. She carefully made her way towards the end of the hallway where Regina’s apartment was. She knocked softly and said, “It’s me,” her voice reverberating off of the door. Before Regina opened the door, she replaced the safety on the gun and then slid it into the holster. Within seconds, the door opened and a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the entryway, followed by the door being slammed shut, deadbolt locked and shaky fingers sliding the chain into the secure position. Regina was now leaning against the door, almost panting, her hair pulled back into a messy pony tail, wearing a black long sleeved Chicago Blackhawks t-shirt on and a pair of gray yoga pants. It was 100% clear to Emma that this woman was going to freak out at any second and the thought of it made her pulse race faster than it already was. Emma put her hand on Regina’s that was still holding onto her arm. “You’re okay. I’m here.”

“I… Don’t. I don’t. I don’t know what…” Regina was stammering.

The breakdown was happening. Emma could feel it. “Breathe.” Regina tried once again to speak and all that came out was a jumbled mess of syllables. “Hey,” Emma put her two fingers underneath the other woman’s chin and gently tugged her face so their noses were mere inches apart from each other. It was a bold move, but frankly, it needed to be done. “I’m _here_. You’re _okay_.” And with that, Emma all of a sudden felt Regina’s arms wrap around her neck, the smell of apples and fabric softener enveloping Emma. A sob wracked the brunette’s body and all Emma could do was hold on tight.

* * *

 

Emma handed Regina a mug with hot tea and probably way more than a splash of whiskey, but who was really measuring? “Careful, it’s hot. And full.” She sat down next to the woman on the couch, probably closer than she ever would have had the hug not have happened earlier. And probably not if she hadn’t taken a very long swig from the whiskey bottle after pouring some into Regina’s mug.

“Thank you,” Regina whispered and then blew lightly on the mug of tea. She took a sip, closing her eyes as the hot liquid made its way towards calming her down. Her legs were pulled up close to her body and she could still feel that she was shaking. As much as she thought she was prepared for in this life and ready to tackle, nothing could have prepared her for the fear she felt knowing that someone was legitimately hunting her. She glanced over at Emma who was seated with her body facing Regina’s. “You don’t have to stay. I’m perfectly fine taking care of myself.”

Emma quirked an eyebrow and then pulled out her lopsided grin. “I know. I was staying because my ride left me and I’m not risking leaving right now. I’ll leave in a few.”

Regina wouldn’t admit it out loud, but a small part of her was disappointed by what Emma had just said. She responded with an “oh” and took another long sip of the tea.

“You actually like hockey?” the blonde asked, motioning to Regina’s t-shirt.

Regina felt herself smile even though she was trying so hard not to. “Yes, I do. I don’t know why. I guess it’s just fun to watch. You sound surprised.”

“I _am_ surprised.” Emma leaned back into the couch cushions. “What else do you like?”

“You don’t have to do this, Miss Swan.”

“Uhhh, do _what_ exactly?”

“Feign interest in me. I know this is a working relationship. You’ve done your duty for the evening.”

Emma let out a puff of breath. She was stunned. _Really? Feign interest?_ “Okay, whatever.” _I’ll just sit here and not say a word. Talk about awkward._

Silence enveloped them. Emma could hear the clock ticking that was on the wall across the living area. _1:08 am. This night could not go any slower, could it?_ She started to move herself away from the brunette on the couch when she heard a sharp intake of breath.

“You really want to know?” Regina asked, her voice was betraying the hardass she was trying so very hard to portray.

Emma laughed, “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.” She watched Regina’s eyes and how the color literally seemed to change with the slight crumble of the walls that had been built so high around her.

“I like -” Regina paused and then motioned with a regal hand towards the books on the table. “I like books, but you probably already know that, being a detective and all.” She watched the corner of Emma’s mouth pull upwards, just the tiniest of amounts. “I like to cook. And bake. Especially when I’m locked into my apartment.”

“For your own good, lady.”

“I know,” came the soft response. “I like all types of music. But I especially like Blues. And on occasion, I like to listen to the oldies.” She paused and then said with a far off look, “Italy. Especially in the summer. And red wine, the occasional white wine, and every now and then I’ll drink a beer, but only a _good_ beer. When I really want to relax, I’ll make an Old Fashioned. But I think I like the mixology of that drink more than anything.” Regina took a deep breath. It had been so long since anyone had asked her what she liked. She felt like the floodgates had been opened. “I have a collection of Wonder Woman comic books - a guilty pleasure that my mother hated, so to this day I kept them hidden in a chest under my bed. And I love old movies like _Gone with the Wind,_ which wasn’t as good as the book, but still made me fall in love with Rhett Butler.” She took a breath and then a sip of her tea. “Don’t judge me on this one, but Dolly Parton. Don’t ask. I do not want to talk about it. But the movie 9 to 5?”

Emma just nodded, a smile plastered to her face. She couldn’t take her eyes off of this woman. Everything she was saying was taking her completely and utterly by surprise. And Emma loved it.

“It’s one of my very favorite movies. Just women winning in the end. I don’t know. And it’s so funny. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin _and_ Dolly? It’s classic.” Regina glanced over at Emma and smiled. “Even though it’s hard to tell, I really love laughing. I just never laugh _enough_. Sometimes I would stay up late on a Saturday night, just to watch Saturday Night Live. I know, it doesn’t really fit.”

“It fits,” Emma said softly. She watched Regina’s cheeks turn a deep red. It was amazing how this woman looked even more breathtaking when she wasn’t wearing any make-up.

Regina looked down at her mug. “Horses. I love riding horses. Especially my very first horse.”

“You have a horse?” Emma asked, still watching those dark eyes.

“ _Had_ a horse.” Regina paused after that, clearly a memory flooding her senses. “He was a marvelous creature. Rocinante. When I would ride that horse… Everything would disappear. Oh, how I loved that horse. Probably more than I’ve ever loved anything in this world.” Regina let out a small laugh. “Kind of pathetic.”

Emma’s eyes brightened. “Not at all. I never had an animal growing up. I always wanted a dog, but none of the foster homes I was in had them.”

“You, you were in the foster system?” Regina immediately felt a twinge of sympathy for this woman.

“Yeah, until I was 16 and then I ran away. With August. You know, my partner in crime. We somehow always managed to be put together in these homes, which is unheard of - unless you’re blood related. So, we stuck together. And now we’ve been together for years.”

Regina felt her heart sink at that statement. “Oh. I didn’t realize you two were a couple.”

Emma let out a loud laugh. “No! Oh, my goodness, no. August is most definitely NOT my boyfriend. No. We are way too close for that. He’s like my brother. From another mother. At least that’s what he always says. He’s seriously an ass sometimes.”

“I see.” Regina took another long drink of her rapidly cooling drink. “Do you have a special someone waiting for you at home then?”

“Aside from Henry? No.” Emma heard the waiver in Regina’s voice when she asked that question. _Why did she want to know that?_

“And tell me about Henry.”

“Henry,” Emma repeated, almost a whisper. “He’s the love of my life. Not planned, but, yeah. He’s… he’s perfect.” Emma felt herself smiling as she said, “Last night he was thrilled because his fortune cookie said, ‘When all else seems to fail, use The Force.’”

“A Star Wars fan like yourself, I see.”

Now it was Emma’s turn to blush. “Yeah, he’s a total geek, just like his mother. I think he’s crushing on someone at The Boys & Girls club where he tutors kids after school.”

“Oh, a crush. How fun,” Regina said with a small chuckle. “I remember crushes.”

Emma licked her lips and tilted her head to look back at Regina. “Remember? You act like it’s been a hundred years since your last crush.”

“It feels like it has been.”

“I know the feeling,” Emma responded, almost a whisper. “Henry will tell me about it eventually. He really is a good kid. I don’t know how I lucked out, but I did.”

Regina was resting her chin on her knees, a smile spread across her face. “I’ve never met a 16-year-old that would willingly go and tutor kids after school. You definitely did something right.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”  Just as Emma said that, her phone vibrated in her back pocket. Emma tore her eyes off of Regina slid the phone out, checking the text message that had just come in. “It’s just August. They weren’t followed back to the office parking garage. That’s good news.” Another vibration and text came in. “And now they’re at the Kerryman Pub drinking and want me to meet them.”

Regina felt her heart sink at that news. She was instantly fearful of being by herself again. And for some reason, the thought of Emma leaving made her stomach hurt. “You’re free to leave whenever, Miss Swan.”

Emma quickly typed out a response to August and then set her phone on the coffee table. She wasn’t stupid. She could hear the worry and fear in Regina’s voice, so she leaned back and pulled her legs up underneath her. “I think it’s time you start calling me Emma,” she said with a smile.

“You’re… you’re not leaving?”

“Nope.”

Everything in Regina’s body calmed down almost instantly upon hearing Emma say nope. “I don’t know about calling you by your first name. It seems so personal.”

“Considering that I know that you like Dolly Parton and you know that I wear Star Wars socks, I think it’s safe to say we’re on a personal level.”

“That is probably true.” The brunette smiled as she readjusted and held her right hand out towards Emma. “Regina.”

Emma laughed and she took the woman’s hand in her own. “Nice to meet you, Regina.” Emma squeezed Regina’s hand a little tighter than she would have otherwise; their eyes were glued to each other’s. “Do you,” Emma started, her eyes still locked onto Regina’s, “Do you think you should try and get some sleep?”

Regina’s face was burning up. She removed her hand from Emma’s and stretched her legs out. “Yes, you’re right. It’s very late.”

“I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

“Nonsense. There is a guest room. It’s never been slept in. You can sleep in there.” Regina stood up and then looked back at Emma. Her blond curls were over her shoulder and her eyes were the color of the ocean on a beautiful, sunny day. She shook herself out of her thoughts and said, “There is a toothbrush in the cabinet in the bathroom. As well as a washcloth and a towel. Please, help yourself.”

Emma watched Regina start to retreat towards her bedroom. “Thank you, Regina.”

Regina stopped right before she entered her room and turned around. “You’re welcome, Emma.” The name felt strangely wonderful slipping past her tongue and into the air. She smiled and then closed the door behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoy this longer chapter!!

Chapter 6

Emma peeled her eyes open and picked her head up to look at the clock. As soon as she realized the clock wasn’t where it was supposed to be, she sat up in bed and looked around frantically. _Where the fu- Oh, yeah... Regina's._ No wonder she wasn’t startled awake by a 16-year-old boy shouting that he’s out of the shower and that it’s her turn now. Light was barely creeping in through a crack in the curtains. Emma slid out of bed and readjusted her white tank top and red bikini panties that she slept in. The slight chill in the air hit her bare arms and legs leaving goosebumps in its wake as she walked over to the window. She slid the thin gray curtains the rest of the way open, revealing floor to ceiling windows. A deep breath escaped from her lungs when her eyes adjusted to the subtle brightness. The room’s view was facing Lake Michigan and if she looked to the left, she could see Navy Pier and the Ferris wheel. “Seriously?” she whispered. The view was incredible, especially on that crisp, late November morning, with the sun's light just starting to really illuminate things. “I could get used to this.”

She looked at the clock on her phone. It was still early, not even 6:30 am yet. She quickly shot a text to Henry, asking him if he was up for school. When a, “Duh, mom. Love you,” showed on her screen, she thanked God for the one-millionth time for Henry and her amazing friends that watched out for him.

The bathroom had an entrance from the bedroom, so she washed her face, brushed her teeth and then gently laid the toothbrush on the washcloth and towel she used. She shimmied into her jeans from yesterday, put her black bra on and then pulled her tank top back over her head. She grabbed her sweater and shoulder gun holster. She had made sure to grab the gun the night before so the brunette didn’t see it. Emma was trying her hardest to get out of there before Regina woke up, too. She would just send her a text or call her later. Ask her how she slept and just move on with her life. Until their next near-anxiety-attack-experience, of course.

Their first _actual_ conversation seemed to go over pretty well, but it was far more than Emma wanted or needed so she wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with everything they had talked about. She had never wanted to know about a client’s life before. Ever. And Regina Mills was the last person she thought she’d get to this level with. And so quickly! Regina seemed to be softening right before her very eyes. How was Emma supposed to deal with that? She honestly had no idea… All of these feelings were very foreign to her, specifically the butterflies she felt every time their eyes locked. She wasn’t stupid. She knew what they meant, but how? And why? And _what the fuck,_ she liked men! She laid it out to August only days earlier! And she laid it out to herself every single time Regina looked at her with those dark, dark eyes, and those full red lips, and that _perfect_ smile, and God dammit that incredibly sexy scar that was etched into her upper lip. Emma was _not_ a lesbian, though. No way. There was absolutely no fucking way. And shit! Neither was Regina! Oh, God, why was she even thinking about this?!

“Fucking August and Ruby and their need to shove their noses into my business,” Emma said through clenched teeth as she made the bed. She knew she would have NEVER thought twice about this woman had August not planted the seed in her head. And then enter Ruby, watering it like a fucking gold-star gardener. Emma did a quick scan of the room for any of her belongings, and then opened the door to the guest room. She immediately was bombarded with the smell of coffee and apple cinnamon and it smelled heavenly. “Shit,” she whispered, more to herself than anything, when she saw the brunette in her black bathrobe and slippers.

Regina was sitting at the counter on one of the barstools, a cup of coffee in a huge, white mug and The Chicago Tribune in front of her. She glanced over towards the sound of Emma whispering ‘shit,’ a soft smile displayed on _those_ _lips_. “Good morning to you, too.”

Emma’s sheepish smirk said it all. She walked over towards Regina and put her phone and gun holster onto the nesting tables that were along the hallway wall. “I didn’t realize you’d be up already.”

“Couldn’t really sleep,” Regina said with a fluff of the paper. She was looking back at the paper when she said, “I made coffee. And why did you not tell me that you brought a firearm into my home?”

“Uh,” Emma froze and glanced between the gun and Regina’s eyes. “Well, I do have the right to bare arms...?” She cringed; she didn’t even need to see Regina’s face to know the woman had rolled her eyes. Emma sighed. “Fine. I was a little freaked out last night. I had to bring back-up.”

“And your idea of ‘back-up’ is a weapon?”

Emma shrugged her shoulders. “Um, yes. A weapon is back-up. Don’t worry about it, Regina. I know how to handle a gun. I was a cop, remember?”

“Yes, I’m well aware.” Regina glanced back at Emma and took in her appearance. Upon seeing her when she emerged from the bedroom, Regina had taken immediate inventory of the white tank top that was _inhumanely_ tight and the black bra straps that were showing along the blonde’s shoulders. Her hair had been thrown up into the biggest mess of a bun Regina had ever seen. And it frustrated her to no end that Emma looked just as irresistible this morning as she had looked every single time they had seen each other. “Please tell me you didn’t sleep in that outfit.”

“No, I slept in my panties and this tank top.” Emma pulled at the edge of the top, causing the side of it to hike up a bit, revealing her very toned oblique muscle. She could see the blush creeping up the brunette’s neck. “Is that okay with you?”

Regina cleared her throat, pushed her fingers through her hair and promptly changed the subject. “I made apple cinnamon muffins. Feel free to help yourself.”

Emma cleared her throat as she accepted the wonderful fact that she had won that war of jabs and insults. “How long have you been up?”

“Not long,” Regina responded. She pretended to look at the paper, but instead eyed Emma as she walked into the kitchen and over to the coffee maker. She focused on the thin strip of skin above the blonde’s skinny jeans that wasn’t covered by the tank top and then her eyes navigated up to the black bra and instantly felt the air in the kitchen thicken. She saw Emma notice the empty coffee cup Regina had sat out for her. The blonde picked her head up and glanced at Regina, who promptly, albeit not smoothly, averted her gaze. “The cream is in the refrigerator. Sugar in the cup to the right of the coffee,” she said, her morning voice still deep from sleep.

Emma felt an involuntary smile cross her lips while she poured the coffee. “You made muffins?” she asked, not really voicing the question to Regina, just making an observation. “But, you haven’t been up that long?”

“Miss Swan -”

“Emma.”

Regina peaked over the paper at the blonde. “ _Emma_. I have _never_ slept well. Just let it go.”

“Okay, okay.” Emma leaned her backside up against the counter as she took a muffin out of the paper cup. When she bit into it, she could barely contain the sound of enjoyment that came out of her mouth. With a full mouth, she got out, “Are you _fucking_ _kidding_ me with this muffin?”

“You really are crass. You know that, right?”

Emma laughed, “Regina, this is the best muffin I’ve ever tasted. Like, seriously. It’s so _moist_!”

Regina’s trademark eyebrow raise was accompanied by a puff of air. She brought her coffee up to her lips and took a sip. “I simply cannot take you seriously right now,” she said with a smile.

Emma started to laugh. She covered her mouth as she said loudly, “I did not mean it like that!” When their laughter finally died down, Emma moved herself across from where Regina was sitting. She leaned in and started reading the front page of the paper that was facing towards her. “Whoa,” she said softly.

Regina didn’t move the paper, but asked, “What?”

“They have a lead on the kidnappings that have been happening over along the East Coast.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” Emma continued to read the article out loud, “‘…though a specific suspect has not been named, numerous suspects have been ruled out due to new evidence pointing towards the origination spot in the New England area.’ That is crazy. Have you heard anything about these kidnappings, y’know, since you’re from up there?”

“Just what I’ve heard on the news,” she answered from behind the paper.

“They’ve been going on for awhile now, right? Like two years?”

Regina answered with a soft, “Mmhmm.’”

Emma stood upright and gulped her already cooled off coffee. She ran the back of her hand across her mouth and then deposited the cup in the sink. “I better head out.” Her words were met with no response, so she pushed the newspaper towards Regina, folding it basically in half. “Did you hear me, _Madame Mayor_?”

Regina’s eyes went wide. She honestly wasn’t sure whether to be insanely angry with Emma for throwing that title in her face or insanely turned on. “Yes, _Miss Swan_ , I heard you. _You’re_ not the prisoner here. You’re free to leave whenever you wish.”

Emma felt her stomach instantly start to ache. She honestly felt horrible for making this woman stay in her apartment all day and all night. She could just imagine how stir crazy she must be going. Emma smiled at her, “Look, I’m sorry. I was just teasing.” She saw Regina’s features soften. She decided to take a chance. “It’s safe to assume that you don’t have any plans tonight, right?”

“Well, I certainly won’t be attending your _comedy_ act,” Regina said, a bite to her words.

“Would you like to come over to my place tonight?” Emma asked as she placed her palms on the cold, granite countertop. She leaned forward a bit, her triceps flexing, her fingers wrapped around the edge of the counter, her green eyes locking onto the brunette’s brown ones. “You can meet Henry. We can watch a movie. I can cook. It’ll at least get you out of the house. And I can keep an eye on you and continue keeping you safe.”

Regina’s eyes tracked over the scene displaying in front of her. She could feel her cheeks burning and she was fairly sure the exposed part of her chest was sticky with perspiration. She really needed to turn down the heat in the apartment. “And how do you presume that we would get me there? The last time I checked, Teleportation was not possible.”

“I’ll figure it out.” Emma moved around the countertop and over towards her pile of belongings. She pulled her sweater on over her head and the messy bun she still had in her hair. “I’ll be at your door right at 4:30. Casual attire.”

Regina swiveled on the bar stool and watched Emma struggle to zip her boots while standing up. She finally got them on, secured her holster over her shoulders and then slipped on her parka. “Okay,” Regina finally answered.

“Regina?” Emma called as she started unlocking the door.

“Yes?” Regina answered, almost too quickly.

“Come lock this behind me,” Emma responded. She waited for Regina to pad over in her slippers before she turned and looked into those dark eyes. “I’ll see you in a few hours.” And before she knew it, she was leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on Regina’s cheek. _What am I doing?!_ She breathed in when her lips hit the baby soft flesh of the brunette’s cheek. She still smelled wonderful. And she heard a sharp intake of breath from Regina. When she pulled away, the brunette's eyes were now wide. “Bye.”

Regina couldn’t find her voice to say anything in response. All she could do was smile when Emma opened the door and left. Regina closed it, locked the deadbolt, secured the chain and pressed her face against the cool material of the door. She had no idea what was happening. All she knew for sure is that tank top was far sexier than it had any right to be.

* * *

 

After Emma showered and changed at home, she headed into the office. She made her daily stop at Starbucks, though, where the barista, Alice, knew she needed a hot chocolate with the usual cinnamon sprinkle. “Grande?”

“No, actually, make it a tall,” Emma responded with a smile.

“No problem, Emma,” Alice said as she scribbled Emma’s name onto the cup. “Busy day today?”

“Always. How’s school going?”

“Deciding to go to Columbia College has officially become the best decision I’ve ever made. The art program there is phenomenal. I’m so digging everything about it.”

Emma chuckled, “And to think you didn’t want to move here from Boston.”

“Right?!”

“Hey, Alice, speaking of that. Since you’re from out there and right this second you seem to have an odd lull in customer traffic… Do you keep up at all with that kidnapping story that’s been really developing for the past 6 or so months?”

Alice squinted her eyes and then readjusted her thick, black-framed glasses. “Um, kinda I guess. I mean, I know that there’s been at least two pretty big kidnappings that happened last year some time. But then I read about two weeks ago that apparently the two men that reported missing people have completely like, disappeared, too.”

“Really? Where did you read that?”

“Man, Emma, I don’t remember. Probably The Sun Times or the Trib. Or maybe online? I read so much, it’s ridiculous.”

“Hey, no worries, Alice.”  Emma heard her name being called just as a string of people gathered in line behind her. “Okay, I’m out. Have a great day, Alice.”

“You, too! See you tomorrow!”

Emma waved as she stepped outside with her hot chocolate and took off towards her office. Her mind quickly wandered to her evening plans. She never typically had evening plans, so having Regina come over was kind of a big deal. Emma wasn’t even sure why she decided to risk it and bring Regina over, except for the fact that the brunette was clearly uncomfortable in her apartment at night. And the more Emma really thought about it, the more she realized she _was_ uncomfortable leaving Regina all alone.

She arrived at the building to her apartment and quickly went inside to board the elevator. She shoved the gated elevator door closed and it started moving to her floor. When she approached the large steel door after she got off of the elevator she could hear music playing. Sliding the door open, she immediately saw August dancing around the floor with a broom while singing very loudly to Michael Jackson’s _Beat It_.

August didn’t hear her push the door closed, and he still didn’t hear her when she walked over to the kitchenette area. He _did_ hear her, though when she found the remote to the stereo system and muted the music. August spun around, clutching his heart. “Jesus, Em. You scared the shit out of me.”

“Well, your singing scared the shit out of me, so we’re even.”

He was still clutching his check when he leaned up against his desk. “I am a fine singer, you jerk. And an even better dancer.”

“Sure.”

August cleared his throat after he calmed down. “You’re in a lot later than normal.”

Emma jumped up and sat on the countertop, her legs swinging back and forth. “Yeah, I, uh… yeah.”

“You, uh… what?”

“Nothing,” Emma said softly. “So, did you go through the surveillance footage?”

“Ohhh no. That’s not how we’re going to play this.” He pointed the end of the broom at Emma from across the room. “No way. I text you, I beg you to come out and have a drink with Ruby and me and nooo. You don’t show and say that you’re still over at Hottie’s apartment.”

“I did NOT say ‘Hottie’s apartment’.”

“Okay, fine, whatever. So, what happened?”

Emma continued to stand her ground. She wasn’t going to relent. She was going to be strong. “August, seriously. Did you go through the footage?”

“Did you stay the night over there?” August asked, the tone of his voice raising an octave.

Emma looked down at the floor, her smile hard to hide. “Yes, August. I spent the night at Regina’s. Big deal. Now did you go through the fucking footage?”

“REGINA’S?!”

“Yes, _Regina’s_.”

“What happened to ‘Ms. Mills’?” August started to make his way over towards where Emma was sitting.

Emma glanced at him, her cheeks pink. Okay, fine, she was going to give in. “Honestly? We just talked a lot last night. Nothing happened. It was nice.”

“Nice?”

“Yeah, it was nice.”

“You stay over at a hot woman’s house, you're on a first name basis, and all you can say is ‘nice’?”

Emma laughed, “Yes, August, all I can say is ‘nice’.”

“Well, whatever. I guess. So, yeah, I went through the footage,” he finally said with a quirk to his grin. “I saw two suspicious people. A tall and kind of thin man and a taller, fatter man. They were there about 20 minutes after we arrived. The infrared lens picked them up. I have no idea how we didn't see them."

"Probably because you were too preoccupied with the damn food bag."

"Probably. Thank God for that sweet ass night vision lens you bought, too, with the motion detector, because I’m fairly sure one of them looked _right at the lens._ ” August went over and grabbed the iPad and then brought it back to Emma. “By the way, we will discuss this Regina business later. But take a look at this.” He shoved the iPad at Emma and pressed play.

There were two men, alright. August’s description was spot on. Both had hoods on. They walked in front of Regina’s building, paused, kept walking, paused again, and then took off down the street. Neither seemed to have seen the van, which is a very good thing. “Neither look like they’re packin’ heat,” she said softly.

“How can you tell that just by looking at them?”

“Because of how they’re walking. Normal people don’t wear a gun shoulder holster. They put it in the back of their jeans, or in a pocket, or even if this guy is seriously a good hunter, he knows he can't just look like he's packing. He probably would have a thigh holster or something. Something to conceal it. I’ve seen it enough that I can tell if their stride is strange. Normally that means gun.”

"What about a bow and arrow?"

"I'm sure if fucking Legolas was walking around the streets of downtown Chicago I’d be able to tell."

August started to laugh. "You are _such a geek."_

“Can you freeze that and move in closer to the one that looks at the camera?”

“You bet.” August’s fingers flew on the iPad and within seconds, he had zoomed in and there was a clear shot of one of the men.

“Email that to me, please.”

“Will do, boss.”

Just as he finished saying that, there was a knock at the door and then it started to slide open. Emma looked up to see her best friends Mary Margaret and Belle standing in the doorway. “You guys! What are you doing?” Emma exclaimed as she jumped off the counter and ran over to them. She put her arms around them both at the same time.

Mary Margaret spoke first, “Well, we were in the neighborhood after yoga, so we thought we’d drop in. You’re not too busy are you?”

Emma laughed, “No, we’re fine. Come in. Let’s sit down. Do you want some tea or coffee?”

“I’d love a tea,” Belle said. Her Aussie accent made it sound so lovely.

“I’ll take one, as well.”

August waved at Emma, “I’ll get it, Em. Mary Margaret, Belle, hi there, beautifuls.”

“Hi, August,” they both said in unison. After they removed their outerwear, the two women took seats on the leather couch while Emma sat cross-legged in the armchair.

“How’s Henry, Mary Margaret? Did he sleep okay? And did you make him breakfast? You know he can’t function until he eats a good breakfast.”

Mary Margaret looked at Emma, a glare displayed on her face. “This isn’t the first time I watched him, you know?”

“I know, but I just, I don’t know. I get clingy. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Emma. He was fine this morning, too. He got up on his own, showered, ate pancakes and bacon - David cooked - and then I dropped him at school before going to yoga. Safe and sound.”

“Okay,” Emma breathed out. “So, what else is going on? I haven’t seen you guys in few days.”

“It has been a few days, hasn’t it? Not since you ditched us the other night for that man you took home.” Mary Margaret absentmindedly ran her hand through her dark pixie hair and smiled, “I mean, you did take him home, right?”

Emma’s eyes went wide and she pushed her finger up to her mouth to tell her to shut the hell up.

August let out a laugh, “Emma, I saw you go home with that douche bag. No need to censor the conversation for my sake, you weirdo.”

A roll of the eyes later and Emma was flipping him off. “Anyway, so what’s up?”

“Well, I just wanted to check on you and Belle said she wanted to come see you, so here we are.”

Emma eyed them both. Something else was going on. “You’re lying. And Belle, you’re lying and you haven’t even said a word.”

Mary Margaret took the mug of tea that August was handing her. She sipped it and looked at Emma over the brim. “Okay, fine,” she said with a breathy sigh. “August texted us and told us that you’re thinking about sleeping with a woman.”

All you could hear in the loft was August gasping and then growling low in his throat. “If I didn’t care tremendously about you, MM, I would spill this other cup of tea all over your stupid skirt. Does the phrase ‘in confidence’ mean anything to you?!” He glared at her as he delivered the mug to Belle.

Emma clicked her tongue and then shook her head. “I hate you _all_ right now.”

“What? Why me? I haven’t spoken a single word,” Belle protested.

“You’re guilty by association.” Emma uncrossed her legs and stood up. “I am not going to sleep with Regina!” She pointed at August, who was now sitting on the arm of the leather couch. “You are one second away from getting fired. Keep it up.”

“You won’t fire me, Em. Stop.” August smiled, “Just please admit to us, your dearest friends, that you fucking like her.”

“No. I will not,” Emma said, her arms already crossed and her mind already made up.

“Well, it’s okay if you do like a woman, Emma,” Belle spoke up. “I mean, I fancy women sometimes.”

Mary Margaret snapped her head towards Belle. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, Mary Margaret. You bloody well know that if a beautiful lady waltzed in here you’d look.”

“No, I don’t think that I would.”

“I’d look,” Emma said without even realizing she was speaking.

They all three looked at her and August beamed. “That’s enough of a confession for me,” he said while putting both of his thumbs in the air.

“Oh, whatever.”

“Wait,” Mary Margaret said as she put her hand in the air. “Does that mean that you do like her?”

Emma just stared at the dark haired woman. What should she say? She wasn’t even sure herself what she was feeling. She settled on a shrug of her shoulders.

“You’ll know once you all pash.”

“What the hell does that mean, Belle?”

Belle giggled, “It means ‘kiss’. Y’know, like the Brits say ‘snog’?”

“Oh, yes, because we hang out with all of these British people,” Emma replied flatly. “Why can’t you just say kiss?”

“Same reason you don’t say pash. Now are you going to pash her or what?”

“Whoa, now. That’s enough of this discussion.” Emma stood up and walked away from the three of them. She absolutely hated when they all ganged up on her. “If you three want to be of actual assistance, you’ll figure out how I can get Regina to my place tonight without being seen.” She realized seconds after she finished her thought how that came out. She whirled around to say something and all three of them were staring at her, an eyebrow raised on all three faces. “I didn’t mean it like that, you guys!”

In unison, “Mmhmm” echoed through the loft.

Emma sighed, “Whatever. Any ideas?”

“So, let me get this straight-”

“So to speak,” August chimed in and Emma glared at him.

“You’re just going to have this woman that has a man hunting her come over to your condo with your son? That sounds real safe, Emma,” Mary Margaret said, an air of sarcasm hanging around her words.

Emma’s shoulders dropped. “Well, when you say it like that…”

“Mary Margaret. Stop judging every move she makes.” Belle looked at Emma and said, “Dinner and a movie. It’ll be nice.”

A deep sigh escaped from Mary Margaret, a sign she was getting ready to relent and be nice. “Well, you could take my car, Emma. I do not need it tonight. I’ll just leave it here now and Belle and I can take the El home.”

“Are you actually going to _make_ dinner?” August asked. He really was interested in this whole relationship unfolding, even if he did like to tease Emma about it. He knew she needed to find someone and man, the sparks really flew with Regina Mills.

“Yeah, I was going to make spaghetti. I mean, I can make that without screwing it up, so…”

“And what movie?”

Emma laughed, “Seriously? I was going to let Henry pick it.”

“So, Lord of the Rings or Star Wars,” August replied. “It’ll be an early night then.”

They all laughed, knowing that August was absolutely right. “Let’s hope she likes those movies.”

“Should we make a wager on whether or not she’s actually seen any of those movies?” August asked and pointed at the girls. “$20?”

“I’ll take that action,” Mary Margaret shouted. A laugh bubbled out of her throat, “I love gambling.”

“You’re all so crass,” Belle observed. “I’m going to bow out of this one.”

“Suit yourself.” August put his $20, Mary Margaret’s and Emma’s that she just slid towards him onto the kitchen counter. “$60 to the winner.”

“I’m winning this.”

“No, you aren’t MM, I am.”

Emma watched them all start laughing and then talking about other things that were going on with them. She really did love them all very much. It was so much fun to see them all interact together. And honestly, what else could she ask for? She had great friends that knew her like the back of their hands. Too bad none of them knew that Regina Mills has seen the Star Wars movies.

* * *

 

Emma knocked on Regina’s door and then shoved her hands into the pockets of her parka. She was nervous and it was a little annoying. She was never nervous around guys. She also knew she had them all wrapped around her little finger, though, so maybe that was why. Whatever the case may be, her heart was currently thumping so hard that she was 100% positive that it could be heard from outside her body. "Calm the fuck down," she whispered and then bit down lightly on her bottom lip. The door was being open moments later by the brunette, who thank goodness took Emma's casual attire remark seriously. She was wearing dark blue boot cut jeans and a white, v-neck t-shirt with 3/4 length sleeves. She had on brown cowboy boots, which made Emma want to say something about a thrift shop, but she decided against it. Regina’s hair was down and the wavy curl that was always there was even more apparent. Emma smiled at her when Regina gestured for her to come inside.

“Hi,” Emma said softly after Regina closed the door. Her heart was beating up into her throat. She felt Regina’s hand on her arm, a gentle squeeze, and then the greeting was reciprocated.

“I’m ready.” Regina put her coat on and stood there, almost at attention. She looked at Emma's hair and how the curls were practically billowing out of the cream colored, knitted ski hat she had pulled over her head. Her black, long parka was zipped all the way up, a cream scarf peaking out.

Emma started to laugh. This woman was very eager to get out of the apartment. “Okay, awesome. Did you pack a bag? Just in case?”

Regina smiled, sheepishly, and walked around the corner to her bedroom. She came back out with a very stylish Louis Vuitton bag and shrugged her shoulders. “I may have.”

“Great,” Emma said, still laughing. “Let’s go then.”

“Miss Swan-”

“Emma,” the blonde corrected, a smile spread across her lips.

“I’m sorry,” Regina paused. “Emma, how do you plan on getting me out of here without being seen?”

“Well, I borrowed a different car, so my Beetle wasn’t driving in and out of your garage. Other than that, though? I figure you can just lay down in the backseat, stay hidden until we’re there.”

“Surely you’re joking.”

“Regina, come on. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just until I know no one is following us. And then we drop off the car at Mary Margaret and David’s, pick up Henry, and head over to the condo. It’ll be easy.”

Regina crossed her arms and sighed. "You're serious."

"As a heart attack. Now come on. Unless the idea of lying in a backseat is so horrible that you'd rather just stay in-"

And with that, Regina promptly pushed past Emma and grabbed the doorknob. "Let's go," she almost shouted.

Emma laughed and exited the apartment, Regina hot on her trail.

* * *

 

Once they were on Lake Shore Drive, Emma skillfully kept one eye on the road and one in the rear view mirror. So far, none of the cars seemed to be following her, but she would know for sure once she took the exit to Michigan Avenue. She floored it around a minivan and then glanced behind her into the backseat. "You okay?"

Regina laughed, "Never better."

Emma felt herself smiling as she merged to take the exit she needed. "Hold on, we are almost there."

"Oh, take your time! The backseat in this Mini Cooper is so spacious!"

"God, maybe I should get tickets to _your_ comedy show. Fucking comedian..." Emma muttered the last part and then felt a hand smack her arm.

"I can hear you, Miss Swan."

Emma flew through the first two stoplights, but made sure to stop abruptly at the one on State Street. She heard Regina say, "Oh, shit!" And brace herself on the front seats. Emma let out a snicker before feeling a hand smack her again.

"Sorry!"

"I bet!"

Emma slowed down as she approached the parking garage where she told Mary Margaret she would park the car. There was still no one following her so she zipped inside and flew into a parking spot. "Here!" She shouted, barely containing her laughter.

Regina sat up from the backseat. "You're a shit. You know that, right?"

Emma looked at Regina in the rear view mirror. "I know. But you're safe, so you should be _thanking_ me." Emma opened the door and then slid the front seat up so Regina could get out of the car. "We have to walk like three blocks, so, put your hood up, and whatever you do, keep your head down, okay?"

Regina climbed out of the car and listened, pulling her hood up onto her head. "Okay," she responded with a soft voice. She felt Emma reach forward and take her bag and throw it over her shoulder. A small smile crept upon her lips at that simple gesture.

"Let's move." Emma took off towards the exit, Regina trailing behind. She heard the brunette take a few quick steps and then felt when, all of a sudden, Regina slid her hand under and around Emma's arm. She glanced down at the hand and then over at Regina, who could only offer a solemn expression with her eyes. Emma knew instantly what that look meant. The brunette was nervous. Her eyes said it all. "You're okay. I promise," Emma whispered. The woman nodded her head as they made their way onto State Street.

The walk was actually very nice. The air was crisp and it was sunny, which was so uncharacteristic of Chicago in the winter months. They were lucky to have sun three days a month, so Emma was thankful this was one of the days. If for no other reason than for Regina's mental health.

Neither women spoke as they walked, swerving around tourists and dodging the homeless people on the sidewalks. The street was bustling with activity, which made Regina feel a lot more at ease. She knew that Emma had planned it with the guise of the people creating a good cover for them.

The last time Regina was downtown and on State Street, she certainly wasn't _passing up_ the shopping stores. It kind of felt strange, walking with such determination. She almost laughed, but decided to just keep her mind focused on staying quiet. When they reached an apartment complex, Emma glanced at her and smiled.

“This is it,” Emma said. She pushed through the revolving doors and Regina followed. “Hey, Reggie.”

The doorman looked up and smiled broadly. “Miss Emma, how you doin’ today, sweetheart?”

“Just fine. How are you? It’s a beautiful day out.”

“It sure is. Beautiful, sunny Chicago day. That is enough for me today. End of the week we’re gettin’ snow. Brace yourself, young lady.”

Emma laughed, “Oh, I so love when you call me young lady.”

Reggie tipped his hat and then chuckled. “Well, you know I like to sweet talk you. Who’s this pretty thing you have with you?”

Emma glanced at Regina; her cheeks were a deep red. “This is Regina. She’s just a friend. We’re coming to pick up Henry.”

“Oh, well, he’s certainly up there. Little master beat me at chess last night.” Reggie walked over to the elevators and waited as the door slid open. “Here you go, Miss Emma and Miss Regina. Lovely to meet you, ma’am.”

Regina pressed her lips together and then held her hand out. “You, as well, sir.” He took her hand and kissed the top of it lightly while bowing.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Emma said under her breath. “Reggie, you’re really layin’ it on thick, aren’t you?”

A chuckle escaped from his throat and he winked at Regina. “Not every day someone as beautiful as this comes waltzing into the lobby.”

“Geez, what am I? Chopped liver?” Emma said with her mouth hanging open in jest. The door slid closed to the elevator and on Reggie’s laugh and wave. “What the hell?” she whispered.

“Come on, Miss Emma. You know you’re just as beautiful,” Regina said in a hushed tone. Their eyes locked in the mirrored doors of the elevator. She turned her head to look at Emma. “That pink in your cheeks is a good look on you.”

Emma smacked Regina on the arm, never looking at her directly. She was fairly sure if she need to take off walking right that second she would have collapsed, her legs melting into a puddle of goo. “Stop,” Emma responded finally. “Eyes forward, Regina.” The side of her mouth curved up into a smile and she glanced at the woman standing next to her. Regina’s eyes were facing forward now, but her smile said it all.

The doors dinged and slid open, depositing the women onto the 18th floor. Emma took a right out of the elevator and then stopped at the second door on the right. She slid a key into the lock and let herself into the apartment. The area was quite a bit smaller than Regina’s massive apartment, but it was still spacious. She followed Emma into the living area, officially nervous to meet new people. Especially Henry. Oh, my God, Henry. What if he hated her? What if he didn’t even want to talk to her? Oh, God.

“Hey, family,” Emma said with a grin.

David came around the corner, a kitchen towel thrown over his shoulder. “Emma, honey, hi.”

“Hey, David. What’s up?”

“Not much. Making Italian Beefs. Wanna stay for dinner?”

“Uh, no, thanks. We’re gonna head home. Where’s Henry?”

“In the back room playing Mario Kart with Mary Margaret. HENRY! YOUR MOM IS HERE!” David bellowed the last part and Regina squinted her eyes.

“David, this is Regina Mills. My new client.”

David wiped his hands on the towel and then threw it back onto his shoulder. “Hello there. You’re in good hands.”

Regina smiled as she extended her hand and took David’s in her own. His smile was very contagious, so she found herself smiling back. “I think you’re right about that,” Regina said as her eyes tracked over to Emma and then back to David.

“Mom!”

Henry came bounding out of the hallway and threw his arms around Emma. Regina couldn’t take her eyes off of them. He was about an inch taller than Emma and had dark hair, but everything else was so much Emma Swan that she could barely stand it.

“Hey, kid.” Emma rubbed his back slightly and then messed up his hair. “I missed you.”

“I know. I missed you, too,” he said, a shy grin displayed on his face.

“Henry, this is,” she reached her hand out and latched onto Regina’s arm. She pulled the brunette forward and looked at her before say, “This is Regina. My new client.”

Henry held out his hand, “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

Regina was smiling even before she realized she _should_ be smiling. “Hi, there. My goodness, you look a lot like your mother, don’t you?” Regina watched as a blush filled his cheeks, just the same way his mother’s did.

“Yeah, I guess,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“She’s right, Henry.” Mary Margaret stood next to the doorframe into the long hallway towards the other side of the apartment. “Hi, Regina? I’m Mary Margaret.”

“It’s really nice to meet you,” Regina said, trying so hard to calm her nerves. She sometimes came off so reserved and unfriendly to new people, but this time, she really did not want to come across that way. For once in her life…

“Okay, well, we’re going to get out of here.” Emma went to hug Mary Margaret and then David joined in. He placed his hand on the back of her head. It seemed very fatherly, much more so than just a friend. “Thank you so much for watching Henry.”

“Anytime. He’s our prince, always,” Mary Margaret said softly as she pulled Henry into a hug. David high fived him and then the teenager was bolting for the door.

“It was very nice meeting you both,” Regina said with a wave of her hand. She turned to follow Emma and Henry, but was stopped when a hand latched onto her arm. She looked back at Mary Margaret. “Yes?”

“Be careful… with them… they’re everything to us.”

Regina saw the woman’s eyes fill with tears. She had no idea how close Emma was to this family. And she honestly didn’t know how to respond at first. Why did she need to be careful? What did that mean? “I will be. I promise.” She gave Mary Margaret a nod and then caught up with Emma and Henry.

“What was that about?” Emma asked when Henry bounded up to the elevator in front of them.

“She said to be careful.”

Emma rolled her eyes and huffed. “She’s always so frigging worried about me.”

“She must really love you and Henry. I suppose that’s not a bad thing, dear,” Regina replied. Emma jerked her head towards Regina at the use of the word ‘dear’ and their eyes found each other’s. “What?”

“Nothing,” Emma responded with a very soft tone as they boarded the elevator. “Nothing at all.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you all again for reading and reviewing. You guys are so much fun to write for!! This chapter is another long one. Hope everyone is okay with that! I picked it up a little with the flirting, a little more with the mystery, and a little more with the suspense. Read and enjoy!!

Chapter 7

“So,” Henry’s voice broke through the easy silence the three of them had fallen into while they walked to the Red Line El train that would drop them off blocks from the Swan condo. “How’s working with my mom?”

“Well-”

“Careful,” Emma interjected. “I’m listening.”

Regina smiled as they walked, her head turning to look at the teenager walking beside her. “It’s actually not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.”

“She’s a little nutty, though, right? Like a crazy jester or something, thinking she’s funny all the time.”

A laugh escaped from Regina’s throat when Emma’s mouth dropped open. “Yes, you are right about that, Henry.”

“That is absolutely NOT how I act! At least not the _whole_ the time! Of all the people that hang around a castle that’s the person you compare me to? The _jester_?” Henry was giggling while Emma defended herself.

Regina glanced at the blonde as they walked. Her eyes traveled over the woman’s profile and she found herself smiling warmly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, Emma.” She turned her head to then look back at Henry. “She has probably been more like a White Knight.”

Emma felt her entire body warm at that comment. She knew she was probably blushing like a fool, though, so she did not even look at the woman next to her after she said that. “That’s more like it. See, Henry? A White Knight. The hero!”

Henry was grinning. “You are _pretty_ heroic sometimes, ma. Like when you make an awesome meal when I’m starving or you buy me a new video game or like, I don’t know, when maybe you let me ask a girl to a dance.” The last part of Henry’s sentence was said so nonchalantly that his mother didn’t think she heard it right at first. Regina, on the other hand, did hear it correctly and immediately looked at Henry.

“Oh, well, Mr. Swan,” she said, stretching out her words. “I see you must have someone in mind?”

Emma smiled. She was right. _There is a crush._ She looked at Regina who was looking at Henry, and for about 1.3 seconds she felt oddly comfortable in this whole scenario.  And then the moment faded when she remembered that her 16-year-old was technically asking if he could start dating. She quickly pulled herself back into the moment and pulled a mom card. “Wait a second here. What did you say? A date? With who?!”

“Uhhh, well, I don’t… I mean… It’s kind of… I don’t know right now. Is it okay to just not say right now? Until I like, know for sure if this is even an option?”

Emma watched Regina glance over at her and smile while placing her hand on her heart in a ‘oh, how sweet’ gesture. Emma felt all of her features soften and her heart almost melt into a puddle. “Of course, kid. That’s fine. You tell me when you’re ready.”

“Okay.” Henry waited a couple beats before adding, “You’re the best, ma.”

“I know,” Emma responded. “I know.”

* * *

 

After a short train ride and a couple block walk, Emma unlocked the door to the condo and held it open for Henry and Regina to enter before her. She watched Regina walk in and pause in the entryway while Henry flipped his Nike running shoes off and threw his coat and backpack on the bench. “Here, give me your coat,” Emma said with an outstretched hand. “I’ll hang it up for you.” She watched Regina shrug her coat off of her shoulders. Emma couldn’t take her eyes off of the woman standing in front of her, the way the bottom of her white t-shirt was clinging a little to the waistband of her jeans and the way said jeans seemed to have been made specifically for Regina’s body. They hugged her in all the right places and, in that moment, Emma Swan was doing a piss poor job of acting like a straight woman. She shook her head and tried to stop staring, but when Regina turned and their eyes locked, Emma felt like she had been caught with hand in the cookie jar.

“Regina, come here! I’ll show you around!” Henry shouted as he came sliding across the floor in his socks.

Emma could tell that Regina was nervous. New surroundings and experiences didn’t really seem like the other woman’s cup of tea, so to speak, so Emma completely understood without having to ask. She placed a guiding hand on the small of Regina’s back and cleared her throat, “Go on. He definitely likes you.”

With those words that’s all it took for Regina to start calming down. From the moment she had walked into the building, she felt like her skin was crawling. She took a deep breath and walked over towards Henry, clenching her fist and then stretching her fingers out. “Okay, let’s get the tour underway-” she stopped talking as she looked around the condo. It was absolutely _beautiful_. Just like Emma’s office space, the condo was a typical Chicago-style loft, but it was updated recently. Hardwood floors, exposed brick walls, open concept kitchen and living area, floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto a private patio that spanned one whole side of the condo and then wrapped around to the adjacent side. “Wow,” she whispered. “This is wonderful.”

Henry let out a laugh, “Wait until you see how awesome my room is!” He reached down and took a hold of Regina’s hand and started pulling her towards the opposite side of the condo.

Emma laughed when Regina’s eyes went wide and she looked back at her with a huge grin. She absolutely loved when Henry acted like he was 12 again, but seeing him interact with Regina like that was definitely the cherry on top. She went straight into the kitchen and grabbed the remote to the music system so she could turn it on. She quickly tapped away at her iPhone until the device synced and music was filling the air. She swirled around gracefully and pulled out a bottle of red wine from the wine rack. “This is much needed right now,” she said while looking at the label. After she opened the bottle, took down two glasses and filled them both, she grabbed hers and quickly gulped down two large mouthfuls. _Okay. Better._ She grabbed the pasta pot and the saucepan from the cabinet. “Okay, don’t fuck this up, Emma.” It’s simple. Pasta. Spaghetti. She can do this. It’s not hard and she has done it a hundred times before.

“Emma?”

She heard her name being called from the upstairs loft area. “What’s up?” she shouted back.

“I’m moving in,” Regina yelled with a laugh. “This is almost as cool as having a treehouse.”

Emma went out into the dining area where she could see up into the loft. “Like it up there, eh?” She could see Regina through the wire railing that surrounded the elevated area. She was sitting in the papasan chair, her feet propped up on the matching footstool. She heard the brunette sigh and then a very soft, “It’s perfect,” float down to her. “Is Henry with you up there?”

“He’s sprawled out on this amazing couch you have up here,” Regina answered, almost in a whisper. “I think he might be asleep.”

“God, he can fall asleep so fast. Feel free to chill out up there. I’m going to start dinner.” Emma watched as Regina leaned forward and ran her hands through her hair. If her heart was going to start pumping a thousand times quicker than normal every time she looked at Regina this was never going to work. She tore her eyes away from the other woman and went back into the kitchen, straight to the refrigerator, pulling out the mushrooms, green pepper and onion from the crisper. “‘ _Something in the way she moves’,_ ” she sang along with The Beatles’ song that was currently playing.

“I didn’t know you were a singer,” Regina interrupted, her voice sounding far more sensual than she intended.

Emma looked up from washing the vegetables at Regina, who was leaning against the wall in the kitchen, her right leg crossed over the left, her arms hugging herself. The smile that was displayed on the brunette’s face almost took Emma’s breath away. She ducked her head and started drying the items she had just washed. “I told you that you don’t really know me very well.”

“I am starting to realize that.” A pause followed and then, “Is this for me?” Regina motioned to the glass of wine on the island countertop.

“Yes. You like red?”

“Mmhmm. I like all wine,” Regina answered as she stepped forward and took the glass of wine, swirled it, smelled it, and then took a sip. “That’s nice,” she commented, more towards herself than to Emma. “Would you like some help?”

“Uh, I mean, if you want to, sure. I’m just making spaghetti. Nothing spectacular. You don’t have to help, though, I mean, I can handle it. Even though I normally don’t cook or whatever. Not like I don’t know what I’m doing. I do. I cook.” Emma took a deep breath. _Calm down, Swan. Calm the fuck down._

“Emma, dear, I can help.” Regina smiled at how nervous Emma obviously was. “I would love to help. I can chop the veggies, if you’d like.”

“That would be, uh, that would be, yeah, wonderful. Please.” Emma shook her head at herself. What the hell. She needed to settle down and pull herself together. Regina was just offering to help. She wasn’t asking if they could make out. _Oh, God… Making out with that woman should not be a thought in my head. What the fuck is going on with me?_ Emma jerked a thumb towards the cabinets next to the stove. “The cutting board is in that cabinet.”

Regina found the board and set it down on the countertop, promptly getting to work slicing the vegetables. Cooking always significantly calmed her nerves. Obviously, it did not have the same effect on Emma. Regina was really starting to wonder what was going on between the two of them. It’s not like they wanted to sleep with each other, right? Emma couldn’t be a lesbian. She had a son and that meant sex with men, right? And Regina most definitely wasn’t a lesbian. She was married to a _man_ , for Christ’s sake. Not that she was happily married, but those are just details. And really? Men were the only people that could handle her. Except for Emma. Emma could handle her. Really well, actually. She glanced over at Emma who was opening cans of tomato sauce and tomato paste. She had pulled her hair back and taken off the oversized cardigan she had on revealing a red t-shirt that said “YES AND” in large black letters. “So, you like Second City?”

Emma nodded her head and started to laugh. “Absolutely. So much. I got this shirt when I went to a show about six or seven years ago. Most favorite shirt I own.”

“I still haven’t been.”

Emma froze. “What?”

“Nope. Just haven’t… Found the time, I guess.” Regina picked up the cutting board and moved over to Emma so she could put the vegetables in the sauce.

“That’s tragic. Especially if you love Saturday Night Live. We must go. I’ll take you. I’ll sneak you out. We are going. I’m floored that you’ve never been!”

Regina’s eyes tracked over Emma’s features. Her thin, pink lips. Her slender nose, her beautiful eyes, the tiny scar along her left eyebrow bone. “Thank you, Emma.”

Emma glanced up at Regina quickly and then down at the sauce pan. “Um, for what?”

“For this. For saving me. For,” Regina took a breath, “For being my White Knight.”

Emma shrugged a shoulder and grinned. “Well, you know, it’s my job.”

“Is it?”

“Yeah, I mean, yeah, it’s what I do.”

“You save women from boring lives and men with an affinity for a bow and arrow?”

Emma’s green eyes finally stopped focusing on anything _but_ Regina and locked onto the dark brown that was looking right at her. “No. You’re, uh,” she cleared her throat, “You’re the first woman I’ve saved.” Her voice was low, the sound of Lorde’s _A World Alone_ swirling around them.

“Hopefully I’m the last.” The words slipped past Regina’s lips and into the air surrounding them before she could even process what she was saying. She knew in that moment that whatever was happening between them wasn’t something she was planning on stopping, regardless of how crazy it seemed.

“Ma?”

Both women jumped at the sound of Henry’s voice behind them. “Jesus, Henry,” Emma was clutching her chest as she turned to glare at her son. “You scared the shit out of me.”

He huffed and then a chuckle came out of his mouth. “Swear jar,” he replied with a smirk. “And I kinda figured I was gonna scare you two.” His voice was very accusatory – not in a bad way, but his wheels were turning. “When will dinner be ready?”

“Twenty minutes?” Emma watched Henry turn and walk over towards the living area and plop down on the couch.

“So,” Regina started, “What’s next? The pasta?”

Emma was not going to deny that she was thankful for the subject change. She nodded her head before grabbing the pasta pan and filling it with water. Regina started stirring the sauce, listening to Emma move around behind her. They worked in harmony for the next 10 or so minutes. Emma asked Regina to add garlic powder, pepper, and oregano to the sauce. “Just a couple tablespoons of each.” Emma noticed Regina measuring out of the palm of her hand, just like she does and smiled. “Also, don’t forget the red pepper flakes.”

Regina smiled to herself, really and said, “Gives it a little kick, doesn’t it?”

“It sure does,” Emma responded, still watching Regina. _It sure does…._

* * *

 

Dinner had been perfect. Emma was so thrilled that everything actually turned out just like she had planned. Her meals didn’t always go over as well as she’d like. Typically something caught on fire and about 50% of the time, they’d end up scrapping the idea and ordering take-out. She really liked to cook, but man, it stressed her out!

Their conversation over the spaghetti and garlic bread was so easy and relaxed, too. Emma was floored by how much Henry seemed to like talking in front of and to Regina. For most of the meal, Emma sat back and watched the two interact. As standoffish as Regina seemed to be, she wasn’t that way at all with Henry. Emma was thrilled about that, too. Sometimes it was nice not always being the one to carry the conversations. It was wonderful knowing that Regina could totally talk about comic books with Henry, too. And he lit up when Regina spilled her secret about the Wonder Woman comics and immediately told her she had to bring them over the next time she visited. And Emma of course said that would be great. And Regina looked like she was going to cry at first, but then laughed and then, it was decided they would watch a Marvel movie since both Henry and Regina liked comics. Emma had to hide her amusement when Henry all of a sudden lit up about the new Captain America movie that was coming out and holy cow, what about the new X-Men movie?!  Emma loved her son so much, but watching him talk about his love for superheroes was always the highlight of her day.

When they finished dinner, Henry volunteered to clean up, which both shocked and delighted Emma. Regina’s face showed shock, as well, and that made Emma even happier. Her son was being perfect, as always, but tonight he was winning a gold star for himself and for Emma. She wasn’t really sure why she cared so much what Regina thought, but she was happy that the woman wouldn’t be able to go home and dissect everything about Emma’s relationship with her son.

“Ma, that was amazing,” Henry said after cleaning up the dishes and wiping the dining table off. Regina and his mom had brought their full again wine glasses out to the couch. The two women were sort of sitting next to each other, but with enough space between to not make it look like they actually _wanted_ to sit next to each other. He noticed his mom’s nervous facial expression and how she was fidgeting and laughed to himself. He knew that look. He had it on a daily basis around the girl he wanted to ask out. He smiled at his mom and Regina. “So, I figured we could watch Captain America because it’s my favorite of the Marvel movies and I know mom really thinks Chris Evans is hot.”

“Oh, really,” Regina commented with a joking tone. “You do, do you?”

Emma knew she was blushing. So much for her perfect kid. “Henry, does the phrase ‘you’re grounded’ mean anything to you?”

Henry was laughing very heartily as she put the movie into the Blu-ray player. He sat down on the couch and propped his feet up on the reclaimed barn wood coffee table. “I’ve heard it before and it hasn’t happened yet,” Henry replied, raising his eyebrows and causing wrinkles in his forehead that looked _identical_ to Emma’s.

Regina sat and watched the display of mother and son teasing each other. She had relaxed a significant amount throughout the cooking and eating of dinner. The wine definitely helped, as well. Halfway through dinner, Emma had opened another bottle and so far, it was going down entirely too smoothly.

“Are you cold?” Emma asked when her eyes traveled over to the woman sitting next to her.

“Mmm,” Regina murmured and then smiled lazily. “No, I feel great.”

Emma let out a low chuckle. “I think the wine is definitely relaxing you.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Ditto,” Emma said, her voice as low as possible. The opening credits of the movie started to run as she took another sip of her wine. She placed her feet on the coffee table and smiled when Regina did the same thing with her red sock covered feet.

“Thanks for having me over,” Regina whispered, her dark eyes flitting over to Emma’s face.

“You’re welcome.” Emma felt her entire body warm up when she noticed that Regina was looking at her. Regina broke the gaze first and focused on the movie. Emma continued to stare, continuously taken back by how beautiful this woman next to her was. She took a deep breath before she glanced at her son, who was looking right at her. He smiled at her and in that moment Emma knew that Henry could sense it. He knew what Emma was way too scared to admit.

Emma Swan was starting to _like_ Regina Mills. And for the first time in a long time, it didn’t scare her as much as it probably should have. Now she just needed to admit it to herself. And to Regina.

* * *

 

Emma sat down on the side of Henry’s bed and smoothed his hair out of his face. She smiled at him when he yawned and then closed his eyes. “Night, kid,” she said softly.

“Ma?” he asked, his eyes still closed.

“Shhhh,” she replied so he would just continue sleeping.

“Ma?” he asked again.

“What, kid?”

“You like her, don’t you?”

“Yes, Henry. She’s a very nice person.”

“No, ma. You _like_ like her. I can tell.” He yawned again and rubbed his eyes.

Emma’s heart flew into her throat. She swallowed and tried to calm her breathing down as a nervous laugh kind of bubbled out of her mouth. “What are you talking about?”

“You look at her. A lot. You stare. Ma, you’re not as smooth as you think you are.”

“Henry, you’re nuts. You need sleep.”

“You know how you always say you know me better than anyone?” His eyes drifted closed as he said that.

“Yes,” Emma responded, so soft she barely heard it come out of her mouth.

“Well, same goes for you.” He opened his eyes and sleepily looked at her. “It’s okay if you do like her. I mean, you can be gay. It’s okay with me.”

Emma’s eyes went wide. “Henry, dude, this is not something we are talking about right now. Go to sleep.”

A smiled plastered itself across his lips. “I’m right. I knew it.”

“Go to sleep,” Emma said while leaning in to kiss him on the forehead. “Stop talking.”

“Right. Goodnight, ma.”

“Night.” Emma stood up and walked over to the door, glancing back at Henry as he flipped over onto his side. The night-light next to his bed that he had since he was a baby was on, spinning slowly casting illuminated figures onto the wall. Unicorns, stars, a swan… She loved that he still used it, even though he really didn’t need a night-light anymore. She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her, turning the knob so it shut quietly. She took a deep breath and let it out. _That intuitive little shit._ What the hell was she supposed to do now? Just walk out there and act like nothing is wrong? She gathered her courage and made her way into the living area. Regina was standing by the row of windows taking in the view. The city was lit up, as always, but it looked especially beautiful tonight. “It’s not as nice as your view of Lake Michigan, but it’ll do.”

Regina didn’t turn to look back at Emma. She sighed and then said, “It’s gorgeous.”

“Yeah, it really is, isn’t it?” Emma made her way over to where Regina was standing. “So,” she started softly. “Since Henry kind of conked out on us, would you mind just crashing here for the night?”

“If I get to wake up to this?” She looked back at Emma and smiled, “I’ll absolutely stay the night.”

Emma chuckled, “Good.” She leaned against the window frame and then turned so she was facing Regina. “You seem much more relaxed than I’ve ever seen you.”

“I think it’s because you made me drink a bottle of red wine, Miss Swan.”

“Well, Madame Mayor,” Emma laughed again, “I don’t remember you fighting me on it.”

“That is definitely true,” Regina replied, also laughing when she ducked her head sheepishly. “Good call on the wine.”

“Yeah, it was, wasn’t it?” Emma continued to look at the brunette in front of her. The curve of her hips, her long legs. The way her hair seemed to shine, even in the dark lighting. And that’s when the revelation slammed right into her, almost knocking her from her feet. Oh, shit. Henry was right. Shit. He was _so_ right. She _did_ like Regina. Shit, shit, shit. And that meant that August was right! And goddammit, so was Ruby! She liked a woman! An actual woman! And she liked her way more than she even realized could be possible. What the hell was she going to do now?

“Maybe I’ll actually sleep tonight,” Regina broke the silence, her voice very low. “Should I just sleep on the couch?”

“Well, since you loved the loft so much, I had Henry pull the couch out up there. It folds out into a bed… I figured you’d like that,” Emma added with a lopsided shrug.

Regina felt a warmth wash over her body. She glanced at Emma, finally taking her eyes off of the downtown Chicago view. “Okay,” she said so soft that it was almost inaudible.

Emma pushed off of the window frame and went to walk past Regina. She felt a hand on the crook of her elbow, Regina’s fingers were holding on tightly. She looked down at the hand and then back up at the brunette’s eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” Regina whispered. “I’m better than okay.” Her eyes moved over Emma’s features and then landed on her lips before moving back up to those green eyes. “I’m…” she started to talk but wasn’t sure what to say anymore. She wanted to tell her thank you again and then tell her how beautiful she was and how much the blonde was plaguing every one of her thoughts. And all of this, every last part of it, was such unchartered territory for the brunette. She never _liked_ anyone. Especially girls. Not even on a friendship level. And then here comes Emma Swan with her beautiful hair and curls and the crease when she smiled and her beautiful green eyes. And all it had done was throw Regina in a tailspin of which she wasn’t sure how to escape.

Emma’s heart was of course beating out of her chest. How did Regina not hear the loud thumping, she would never know. She was pretty sure the people in the building across the street could hear it. “You’re what?” Emma asked, her face so close to Regina’s that the brunette’s hair shifted slightly from the movement in the air her breath caused.

Regina froze. Her courage, her determination, her eyes, everything was betraying her. She looked away from Emma and sighed. “Nothing.”

“Okay,” Emma responded. She knew it wasn’t “nothing”, but she would never push this woman. She walked away from the window and over to where Regina had deposited her bag when they first had walked into the condo earlier that evening. Emma could barely feel her legs after finally coming to her startling realization, so she wasn’t even sure how she was getting around the condo without stumbling. The wine, the sporadic touches, the longing glances. It was all _way too much_ for her to handle. “I’ll put your bag upstairs, Regina.” The other woman didn’t respond, just kept looking out the windows. Emma was so scared. She knew if she walked back over to Regina something would happen. She wasn’t sure what. But she knew _something_ would happen. “I’m going to go get ready for bed, okay?” Still nothing from the brunette. The decision to walk over towards her was easy once she heard a sniffle come from her and realized she was crying. “Hey,” Emma said, quickly walking over to the windows again.  

“Emma, don’t,” Regina said. “Please.”

“No, stop. Regina, look at me.” Emma’s fingers touched underneath Regina’s chin and gently guided her face so they were looking at each other. Her eyes were red, her nose pink, and her cheeks wet with tears. The sight made Emma’s breath hitch in her throat. She reached forward and brushed a tear off of the woman’s cheek with the soft pad of her thumb. “Stop. It’s okay. You’re safe with me. I’m never going to let something happen to you.”

“I know,” Regina said trying to wipe away her tears. “I know.”

“Why don’t you go change into pajamas and try to get some sleep? I’ll be right down here if you need me.” Emma smoothed her hand down Regina’s side and gripped her hand. “I’ve got you.”

Regina smiled as she pulled Emma towards her and wrapped her arms around the blonde. She buried her head into Emma’s neck and took a deep breath. “Thank you so much,” came her muffled voice.

Emma laughed, “You’re welcome. Now go get changed.”

* * *

 

Emma lifted her eyes and looked at the clock on the windowsill. 3:30 am. _Awesome_. Why couldn’t she sleep? She never had issues sleeping. Of course, she didn’t typically realize she had growing feelings for a woman only moments before trying to go to bed. She propped herself up on her elbows. The sudden change in altitude made her immediately regret the two bottles of wine her and Regina had shared.

God. What was she going to do? This woman was a hot mess and Emma was only going to fuel the fire if she continued to let these feelings consume her. Regina needed to focus and Emma needed to focus on keeping her alive! And thinking about all of this right now? Yeah, all it was doing was making her already thumping brain hurt even more.

She threw the covers off of her and scooted off the bed. She needed water, she needed ibuprofen, and she needed it now. She slowly opened the door, careful not to let it creak, and then padded out to the kitchen. After pouring a glass of water, grabbing medicine and taking it, she finally felt the presence of someone else in the room. She looked quickly towards the window and saw Regina standing there in her pajamas, looking out the window, almost as if Emma never saw her go upstairs to the loft to bed. She had turned her head upon hearing Emma gasp and hiss, “Jesus!” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “What are you doing?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around herself, already feeling the chill in the air against her bare arms and legs. It hadn’t even dawned on her that she shouldn’t run around in her boy shorts and tank top with no bra on. She clearly wasn’t used to overnight visitors.

“I’m sorry,” Regina whispered. She took in Emma’s sleeping attire and tried her hardest not to notice the fact that the blonde was obviously cold. “Couldn’t sleep.”

“Thinking too much?”

Regina nodded her head. “I just, it’s hard.”

Emma came to a stop behind Regina. She reached her hand out and wrapped it around Regina’s arm. “Come to bed with me.”

Regina looked down at Emma’s hand. “What? That will hardly be necessary.”

“I’m freezing, you’re tired, just come to bed with me.” Emma turned to walk away and with barely any pull, Regina was following her. They quietly made their way into Emma’s bedroom. Regina paused before Emma pulled her again. “Get in,” she instructed with a push to the small of Regina’s back. The brunette complied and slipped between the sheets, settling immediately onto her side facing away from Emma.

Regina felt Emma climb into bed behind her. She waited a beat and before she said a single word, she felt a strong arm wrap itself around her middle and then Emma’s body being pressed up against her back. A smile spread itself across Regina’s face. “Miss Swan,” she whispered.

“What?”

“Do you do this with all your clients?”

Emma chuckled. “No. Just close your eyes and try to sleep.”

“Okay.”

“Good night,” Emma breathed against the base of Regina’s neck.

“Mmhmm.” Regina moved her hand and covered Emma’s with it. Their fingers intertwined lazily and before either one of them knew it, both women were sleeping like babies.

* * *

 

When Emma woke up the next morning, the smell of coffee and bacon surrounded her. She knew immediately that Regina had already gotten out of bed. No way was Henry cooking breakfast. He had to be at school. She picked her head up off the pillow and squinted her eyes to see the clock. “Well, shit.” She rolled out of her bed and found her bathrobe, tying the sash around her waist. Had she really slept the whole night with arm wrapped around Regina? She honestly didn’t know how to even feel about it aside from the fact that she probably just had gotten the best night of sleep in quite some time. When she opened the door to her bedroom, she could see Henry sitting at the bar top on a stool smiling and chuckling. He had a plate in front of him, a glass of orange juice and his pajamas still on. “Henry, why aren’t you at school?”

He turned his head towards his mother’s voice and smiled, “Good morning to you, too.”

Regina let out a laugh, “Oh, so this is normal for her to not say good morning when she gets up?”

Henry joined in on the laughter. “Oh, yeah. Sometimes she stumbles out of her room with a curse word.” He pointed towards a jar on the countertop. It was filled with money. “That’s her swear jar.”

“Oh, my God. You two are seriously starting on me already?”

Both Regina and Henry said, “Yes.”

“Great. Why aren’t you at school, kid?”

“No school today or tomorrow. Fall break or something.”

“Well, geez, I thought that was next week. I’m out of it.” She came up to Henry and placed a kiss on his messy hair. “Good morning,” she said with a poke to his side, causing him to let out a giggle. She looked around the kitchen and noticed pancakes and bacon on a plate for her. She watched Regina turn around and then place it in front of her. “This is for me?”

“Yes, it is. Hot off the griddle.”

Henry passed the syrup down. “Here’s the syrup and butter. They’re really good.”

Regina smiled. “He sure can put away the food,” she commented.

“Yes, he can,” Emma said with a smile. She sat down on a bar stool and started to eat. A cup of coffee was sat in front of her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, dear.”

Emma glanced at Henry and he was trying to hide a grin in his milk cup. He was going to get it. “So, how’d you sleep?” Emma asked.

Regina took a sip of her coffee and then shrugged. “Once I actually relaxed, really, really well.”

Emma smiled at her, “Same here. So, what’s on the agenda today?”

Henry perked up immediately. “You wanna go out to dinner? Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder? Or Pequod’s or something like that?’

“You must be needing your pizza fix,” Emma commented.

“Duh, ma. When do I not need a pizza fix?”

“True that. That’s fine with me.” Her eyes moved over to Regina who was leaning against the counter reading the newspaper. “I see you found the paper.”

“I got it for her,” Henry said with a mouthful of pancake. “I didn’t want her to have to go downstairs for it.”

“Oh, really! Well, I’ll remember that the next time I ask you to go get it for _me_ ,” Emma said with a laugh. “Geez, you have him wrapped around your finger already.”

Regina smiled while still reading. Her eyes flitted up to Emma’s and then back down at the paper. “There’s more news about those kidnappings.” She pulled the page from the paper, folded it, and handed it to Emma. “Says two men that had family members kidnapped are missing and they think they have a lead on where they’re located.”

Emma grabbed the paper and immediately started reading. “Holy shit.”

“That’s $.50,” Henry shouted.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Worth it,” she responded. “It describes the men as a slender man, late 30’s and then a taller, larger man, around the same age. Shit. Hold up.” Emma swiveled out of the bar stool, turned a corner and flew up the stairs to the loft. She quickly grabbed her iPad, connected to the office’s electronic filing system and then flew right back down the stairs. “Regina, look.” She shoved the iPad at the other woman and said, “What if?”

Regina looked at the picture of what was _obviously_ Robin and another man outside of her apartment. “Emma, why didn’t you tell me you had this?”

“Need to know basis, Regina. That’s not the point, though. What if he’s one of the men the newspaper is referring to? The article says they have pinpointed them to the Midwest.”

“The ‘Midwest’ is really large, ma,” Henry said, again around a mouthful of pancake. “I mean, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana…”

“I know, I know. But seriously. Aside from the fact that I’m happy you know your states, Henry, I’m being absolutely serious here.”

Regina studied the picture and then looked at Emma. “It did say that, didn’t it? And late 30’s makes sense.”

“Yes, it did. And the article I read yesterday said that they had narrowed down suspects to the New England area.” Emma ran into her bedroom and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. She quickly dialed August’s number. “Wake up,” she said when she got a groggy response. “Meet me at the office in two hours.”

“Two hours?” came a sleep voice and a yawn.

“Yes, two hours. Technically you should already be there. It’s after 8 am.”

August sighed, “Em, come on. I _am_ here already. I slept here again.”

“We’ll discuss rent later,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll be there in two hours.”

Regina walked over to where Emma was standing in the doorway of her bedroom. “You’ll drop me at my apartment first, right?”

“Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t make you go it alone,” Emma said as she placed a hand over Regina’s.

“Thank you,” Regina smiled. “And thanks for last night, for, you know, for helping me sleep.”

Their eyes locked and Emma felt her body temperature shoot through the roof. “No problem. Um, anytime,” Emma stammered. “It was nice, actually.”

Regina’s heart felt light upon hearing that. “Yeah, it was,” she said with a smile.

Emma leaned against the door frame and then said, “Want to do dinner with us?” She reached forward and tucked a stray piece of hair behind Regina’s ear. “Deep dish pizza, you can’t really say no to that.”

Regina smiled, her skin warming where Emma’s fingers brushed her ear and cheek. “I’d love to.”

“Okay, good. Go get ready.”

* * *

 

Emma and Regina were speed walking from the El platform to Regina’s Lake Shore Drive apartment. It was a bit of a trek, but thankfully according to the Weather Channel app on Emma’s phone the snow was holding off until later. Regina’s hand was wrapped around Emma’s forearm and their stride was perfectly in tune with each other’s. When they arrived at the building, they bee lined for the garage entrance and Regina quickly entered the code while Emma kept her eyes peeled. Once they were in the garage and standing inside the elevator, both women started to calm down. “Okay, so I’ll come scoop you up around 5:00. Be ready.” The elevator dinged and then the doors opened. Emma held a hand out and held Regina back while Emma stuck her head out and made sure each direction was clear. “Clear,” she said. “Come on.”

Emma approached Regina’s door and her heart sunk. Emma froze and then quickly checked her peripherals. She cursed herself for not bringing her gun. Why, oh, why had she not brought her gun? She knew Regina had not seen what she saw yet, but it was only a matter of seconds.

“Oh, my God.”

And she saw it.

An arrow had been shot at Regina’s door, the tip just piercing the wooden doorframe. There was a note hanging from it. Emma reached forward and wrapped her hand around the shaft of the arrow, pulling it out of the wood. She turned the note over and read it out loud. “‘Money or Die, Gina’.” Emma looked at Regina. Her normally olive skin was a pale white color. Her lips had drained of color, as well. She was going down. Emma could sense it. She instinctively wrapped her arm around the other woman’s waist and held her up. “This guy is a fucking lunatic,” she said softly.

“Emma, I can’t stay here. I can’t do this anymore. He knows where I am. He knows. He knows where I am. He’s going to kill me. I can’t do this.”

“Regina, listen to me.” Emma shoved her up against the wall, probably a little too forcefully, but Regina was freaking out. “You are not staying here. You’re coming with me. We’ll go inside, get your clothes, and then we’re out of here.” Emma pulled Regina’s keys out of the woman’s coat pocket and opened the door, all the while holding Regina upright.

When the door swung open, the sight made Emma’s knees almost give out. Thank goodness she was holding Regina up.

The apartment had been ransacked.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Abuse - but not graphic depictions! Just a mention of it.

Chapter 8

August slid the door to the office closed and secured it with the large rod-like locking mechanism. He swirled around and rushed over to Ruby and Emma as they helped walk Regina over to the couch. The two women eased Regina down onto the leather. August looked at Emma over the top of the brunette’s head. Their eyes locked and he could tell right then and there that Emma wasn’t too far off from a breakdown herself.

“Regina?” Emma said so softly and full of emotion that it almost pained August to hear it.

August and Ruby watched as Regina tilted her head back and brought her line of sight up to Emma’s green eyes. She smoothed Regina’s hair back from her forehead and with eyes full of tears said, “I’m so sorry. I should have told you they were outside your apartment that night. This is all my fault.” A single, solitary tear rolled down Emma’s cheek and Regina reached up, with what seemed like the last of her stressed-to-the-max strength and brushed the tear from Emma’s cheek.

“Stop, dear. Stop. It’s not your fault,” the brunette whispered. “You had no idea this would happen.” She leaned back and rested her head against the back of the couch. A deep sigh escaping from her lungs. August took his cue and grabbed a blanket and spread it across Regina’s lap. She looked up at him and with a very small smile tugging at her lips said, “Thank you, August.”

Emma sat down on the leather ottoman and sighed, pushing her hands through her blond locks. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” she said to no one in particular.  She shook her head and then looked back at August. Then her eyes traveled to Ruby, who was standing tall and straight, her facial expression stoic.  “I know he was watching. I just know it. I have a horrible feeling.”

“It doesn’t matter if he was, Em. Ruby got you out of there. No one followed. Calm down,” August said when he placed his hand on Emma’s back. “You can’t lose it. I can’t be the responsible one.”

Emma smiled, “You’re an asshole.”

“I know, but Jesus, you can’t expect me to, y’know, hold it together while you’re freaking out. I’ll _die_.” August laughed as he and Ruby walked away from the scene entirely.

Emma looked back at Regina. She had closed her eyes and her breathing was much calmer now. Emma stood up and made her way over to where August was standing in the kitchen, downing a bottle of water. She put her hands in her back pocket and chewed on the inside of her cheek. She glanced back at Regina and then at August and Ruby. “Ruby, thank you for coming to get us. Thank you _so, so_ much.”

Ruby’s lips twitched and then a small smile spread across her bright, red lips. “You’re welcome, Emma. Thank you for trusting me enough to ask.”

  
Emma smiled back, not really knowing what else to do. The fact of the matter was that she really _didn’t_ trust the girl. It was August who suggested Ruby come pick them up when Emma had frantically called him and shouted through the phone what happened at Regina’s. And it did nothing to calm Emma’s nerves when the brazen girl pulled into the garage at Regina’s in a bright yellow taxicab. It wasn’t until Ruby was driving so expertly down the roads of Downtown Chicago that Emma finally calmed down and stopped second-guessing the girl. “I told you she was a better driver than me,” August said while looking at Emma. “She’s been driving that taxi since she was 18.”  
“It shows.”

“Well, in movies, when the person jumps in the cab and says, ‘Follow that car’? Yeah, that’s not just a movie line. That actually happens. Like _all the time._ ” Ruby smiled, “It’s quite an adrenaline rush.”

Emma took a deep breath and said, barely louder than a whisper, “I should have called the cops. I should have called them. What the fuck am I doing?” She leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling. “Her fucking apartment was _trashed_ , you guys. _Trashed._ And I fucking _packed a bag_ for her and left the scene of a _goddamn crime_.” She took another deep breath and then walked over to the cabinet under where the microwave was sitting on the counter. She opened it and bent down, grabbing a bottle of MacCutcheon Whiskey that she kept down there for special occasions. This definitely wasn’t special, but it was certainly fucking _stressful_. She popped the lid off and took a swig straight from the bottle. The liquid burned on the way down her esophagus, but it felt _good_. She took another long drink and then passed the bottle off to Ruby, who promptly took a swig from it, as well. “What the hell was he looking for in there? I mean, it’s not like she’d keep money that she stole just in a bag in her closet.”

August crossed his arms, his backside pressed against the countertop, now holding the bottle of whiskey. “Maybe he was just doing it to send a message.”

“But the note on the arrow said, ‘Money or Die’. Don’t you think that means he was looking for the money.”

“It seems like it’s all just a big scare tactic,” Ruby said softly. She jumped up onto the counter, sitting now with her legs crossed and her hands pressed against the granite. “‘Cuz, you know _he knows_ she wouldn’t keep that money in her apartment. He knows she’s not dumb. So, what if he’s just scaring her, hoping she’ll just give him her own money.”

Emma looked at Ruby and then to August. “How did you know she has money, Ruby, hmmmm?”

August ducked his head and Ruby looked at him and then at Emma. “Sorry, August told me. I guess he thought since I was on the case now…”

Emma tossed the cap from the whiskey at August. “You couldn’t wait to see if I was going to hire her?”

“You’ve been pretty busy, Em! Come on! You’ve been with Regina non-stop since you took her case.” August smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

Emma laughed and said, “You both suck.” She took a deep breath and then looked back at Ruby. “That makes sense. So, let’s think, though. If Robin and his friend-”

“Little John,” August interrupted.

Emma looked at him. “What?”

“I named the big guy ‘Little John’. And I named Regina’s husband ‘Robin _Hood_ ’.”

“Are you serious?”

“As a fucking heart attack, Em. I mean, come on. His name is Robin Locksley.”

Emma stared at him. “So?”

“Seriously, Emma?” Ruby said with a laugh. “Honey, Robin Hood is Robin of Locksley in all the old stories.”

“Like Kevin Costner, Prince of Thieves?” Emma asked while looking back and forth between Ruby and August.

“Exactly,” August replied, his eyes shining.

“What the fuck?” Emma said while rubbing her forehead. “Is this relevant?”

“Probably not,” August said while chuckling. “What do you think I do when I stay here all night? I think of funny shit and nicknames for people. It’s not relevant. I’m sure of it. Just a coincidence.”

Emma sighed. “Okay, whatever. So Robin Hood and Little John. I think they’re the two men that the cops are looking for from the New England area. Apparently two men are missing, they both had people kidnapped from them and now they’re looking for… something. But I don’t know what.”

“Aside from the money, you mean,” Ruby interjected.

“Yes, aside from the money. Obviously they’re looking for the money. But why do they think Regina has it? And who is the kidnapper? They must be looking for the money for ransom. Right? I mean… That makes sense, right?”

“It makes perfect sense,” August said and then took a drink from the bottle of whiskey. “Now, how do we find their hideout, their, shall we say, ‘Sherwood Forest’?” When he said that, his fingers came up to signify air quotes.

Emma’s eyes went wide. “Did you just…?”

“I sure did, Em. I sure did.”

Emma laughed and shook her head. “You are absolutely ridiculous.”

“You love me and you know it,” August said before passing the bottle to Emma.

She took another long swallow and then passed to Ruby. “Okay, so here’s the plan. I obviously cannot leave Regina alone. She’ll freak the _fuck_ out and I am not going to do that to her.” She watched Ruby and August exchange knowing glances and small smiles, which she chose to ignore. “I want you two to go find these two men and track them back to their hideout. It shouldn’t be too difficult. I don’t think they know about you guys. If they know about anyone it’s me. So it’s best if I just stay still.”

“Has anyone thought about questioning Mr. Fredricksen?”

Emma’s head snapped up and looked back towards Regina. Her eyes were open and clearly had been paying attention to most, if not all, of the conversation. “Uh… Um, I guess not. But that’s a good idea,” she said softly.

“The first arrow was delivered by Mr. Fredricksen and the second had to have happened sometime in the afternoon shift. You picked me up at 4:30.”

Emma smiled at the brunette as she spoke. “That’s a really good idea. Because how else did he get up to your apartment. Holy shit, how did I miss that?”

“Because you know I threatened him within an inch of his life after he let you up,” Regina replied. “So, he’s either in on it, or something else entirely.”

“I’ll question him,” Ruby said with a smile. “I’m good with men.”

“Ruby, honey, he’s old. Like, grandfather old.”

“Emma, men of all ages think I’m fair game. I’ll get the info out of him. I promise.” Ruby slid off the countertop and then walked over towards Regina. She sat down next to the woman and put her hand on top of Regina’s. “I’m so happy that I got to meet you today,” she said softly. “I wish it would have been under different circumstances.”

Regina smiled at the girl and then said just as softly, “I agree. You are one hell of a driver, Miss Lucas.”

“Thank you.” Ruby leaned over and hugged Regina and then stood up. “Okay, I’m going to go question this old balls.”

Emma let out a laugh. “Oh, my God.”

August started to chuckle as he walked over to her.  He handed the girl a small bag with an electronic bugging device inside of it and a wire she could wear. “Somehow get this onto Fredricksen’s desk. It’ll start broadcasting to the app on your phone as soon as it’s activated. And then wear this wire, okay?” He showed her both pieces of equipment and then said, “Don’t get hurt. Don’t do anything stupid. And for Christ’s sake, don’t forget that we haven’t even had sex yet, so don’t get killed.”

Ruby started to laugh and then slugged him on the arm. “If I die before we get a chance to _fuck_ , I’ll be _soooo_ disappointed,” she said, sarcasm dripping for her words.

August smiled. “Ruby, you’re the best. Meet me at the corner of Michigan and Erie at 4:30. I’ll have the surveillance van and we can get an early start. I’m sure we’ll see them.”

“Sounds good. I’m going to walk, so my cab’s still in your garage.” Ruby turned and unlocked the metal door. She slid it open and then turned around. “Synchronize your watches!” she exclaimed before sliding the door closed and disappearing.

Emma looked over at August. “Good find, my friend.”

“Yeah, I know. She’s good people. I hooked her up with an iPhone with all the pics and apps she needs to track and record. She’s good.”

“Okay. So, you meet her, you guys track that son of a bitch, and then call me immediately.”

“I will, Em,” August said, putting his hand on her arm. He squeezed it lightly before saying, “Go take care of her.” His voice was filled with caring.

Emma turned and walked over towards Regina. She sat down next to the brunette, slinging an arm around her shoulders. Regina immediately leaned into Emma’s body and pressed her cheek into the blonde’s chest. Emma rubbed her back very softly, up and down. “I have you. I won’t let him hurt you. I promise.”

Regina picked her head up and looked at Emma. Their noses were so close that they were almost touching. She looked deep into Emma’s eyes. “With you is the only place I feel safe,” she whispered. Their gazes locked for what felt like a lifetime before Regina slowly rested her head back onto Emma’s chest. Her heart was thumping away and she knew Regina could hear it, but she didn’t care. Her eyes found August’s across the office space and she smiled.

“Told you,” he mouthed with his thumbs in the air.

Emma shook her head back and forth. He really was an asshole. She leaned her head down and placed a kiss on the top of Regina’s head. “I got you,” she whispered. “I got you.”

* * *

 

Emma walked into Henry’s room after getting herself and Regina back to the apartment in one piece. She decided to take them underground to the Pedway to get to the Red Line El train from Michigan Avenue, so she had August loop around three or four times and then drop them off at the busiest spot she could think of - the Millennium Park Train Station. When they arrived home, she had deposited Regina onto the couch, wrapped her in a blanket, and had given her hot tea with a strong shot of whiskey. Now, while she tried to calm herself down, she had to break it to Henry that their dinner plans were shot. She straddled his desk chair in his bedroom and looked at him as he studied his Pre-Calculus homework. “So,” she started.

He looked up at her and smiled. “We can’t do pizza out tonight, can we?” His mother sighed and then shook her head slowly. He knew something big was going on. He was 16, not 6. But Henry also knew that if he was patient enough, his mother would eventually tell him. So he securely fastened his patience cap and said, “It’s okay, ma.”

“Are you sure, kid? I know you really wanted to go out.”

“Ma, I promise it’s okay.” He put down his pencil and it rolled into the center crease of the bookbinding. “Is Regina gonna be okay?”

Emma smiled warmly. “Oh, honey, yes. She’ll be okay. She’s just really scared.”

“What happened? I know you don’t want to tell me, but she’s here now and what if…?”

Emma stood up and went over to Henry’s bed. She knelt on the floor next to it and grabbed his hands. “Look at me, kid.” He did as instructed. “Nothing is going to happen to you. Do you hear me?”

“I know. That’s not it.” He broke eye contact with his mom and looked down at his book. “I just don’t want something bad to happen to Regina. I really like her, ma. She’s really cool. And this person that wants to hurt her…”

Emma’s heart sank. She could barely breathe. “Oh, kid. I really like her, too,” she said so softly. “A lot.”

He smiled, still looking at his book. “I know you do.” He glanced up at her and then said with a lopsided smile, “You’re pretty easy to read for a detective.”

She laughed. “This hasn’t really happened before.”

“Which part?” Henry asked. “The part where you’re happy with another person? Or the part about it being a girl?”

“Both,” Emma said, followed by a very heavy sigh.

“It’s okay, ma. She’s really nice. And you’re really awesome. And why not, right? Like, when was the last time you had a boyfriend that stuck around, or whatever?”

“You’re way too smart for your own good. You know that, right?”  
“Yeah, I’m pretty awesome.” Henry paused and then looked at her. “It’s not a good situation. With this man. Is it?”

Emma shook her head. “No. But I’m going to protect her.”

“Be her White Knight?”

Emma smiled while she stood up and then looked at him closely. “You’ve known since that comment she made while we were walking home, didn’t you?”

He sheepishly grinned. “Yeah, I did. Normally, I mean, the white knight is a man. But this time, I think you’re ready to be the hero. _Her_ hero.”

Emma leaned down and kissed Henry on the top of his messy hair. “I love you, kid.”

“I love you, too, ma.” When Emma was walking away, he said with a grin, “Think we can at least order pizza in?”

Emma laughed before she left the room. “Of course, you goofball. Of course.”

* * *

 

After Emma ordered the pizza, she pulled a bottle of Riesling from the wine cooler and opened it. After a gulp or two directly from the bottle, she decided to stop being so unladylike and actually use a glass. She was warming up to Regina far too quickly if she was willing to just slug from the bottle and carry it around like a baby. She walked into the living area to check on Regina, a glass of wine now in her hand. The brunette was laying on the couch, a pillow under her head, her eyes closed. She looked like she could be sleeping, but honestly Emma had only seen her sleep once and was so preoccupied with the fact that Regina Mills was lying in her bed that she didn’t even pay attention to anything else.

She sat down on the edge of the couch, careful not to disturb the woman. When she leaned back and flipped on the television, she made sure that the volume was as low as possible. She turned on the local news affiliate, propped her feet up on the coffee table and sipped on her wine. The newswoman reporting flipped her shoulder length blond hair back and forth as she turned from camera one to camera two. Emma could barely hear the sound, but when the live reporter flashed on screen in front of an abandoned building, Emma’s ears perked up. She nudged the volume on the remote so she could hear the reporter perfectly.

“We are on the South Side here in front of the abandoned Moo & Oink building. This historic landmine shut its doors recently due to rising costs and outsourcing efforts. The building, which was erected over 100 years ago, has been boarded up. The company, meanwhile, is doing very well!  Some of you may remember when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler sang the jingle on an episode of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. Making Chicago famous, one frozen ice cream treat at a time. Reporting live from the South Side, I’m Ashley Boyd, WGN News.”  
Emma’s mind immediately started to race. An abandoned building. _Recently_ abandoned… This could be huge. There was no reason why she couldn’t get August and Ruby to check it out. Or at least fill them in on it. She slid her phone out of her Chicago Bears zip-up hoodie pocket and quickly typed out a text to both of her counterparts.

_Check out the Moo & Oink building on Stoney Island. I have a sixth sense about these things. What if that’s ‘Sherwood Forest’? _ She pressed send and within seconds had a text back from August.

_Will do, Em. PS - we are in front of Regina’s building now. No movement. But we have our eyes peeled and no, we are not playing Truth or Dare._

Emma smiled at that text and typed out, _Good thing. Thanks. Both of you._

Ruby responded next: _Emma, stop thanking us. It’s our job to kick ass and take names. Also, Fredricksen’s bug has been planted. We’ve been listening since I placed it. Only sounds we’ve heard so far are a lot of throat clearing and some Frank Sinatra. When I questioned him he said no one has sweet-talked him since the pretty blonde with the sweet, little body. Just thought you should know. What’s up with his eyebrows? They’re like uber bushy._

Another smile spread across Emma’s lips and she shook her head. _Sweet, little body, eh? His eyebrows are awesome. Don’t make fun. Did he seem agitated?_

A few seconds passed and then Ruby’s response vibrated through. _Nope. Normal, old codger with bad coffee breath. No worries. I wore the wire, so it’s all recorded. You can access it via the office’s uplink._

_Thanks, Ruby. And August. You both rock._

Two _Thanks_ texts came in and then cell phone silence. She glanced again at Regina and her heart immediately warmed at the sight of her sleeping so soundly on the couch. Was it weird that she felt closer to this woman than she felt with almost every other person in her entire life?  They hardly knew each other. There was still so much that she didn’t know about Regina. Did she have brothers and sisters? If she didn’t talk to her mom, where was she? And how hard was _that_?!  Emma knew what it was like not having a mom, but geez, if she did have one, she certainly wouldn’t be able to cut her out of her life just like that.

There was a knock on the door and all of a sudden, Henry came flying out of his bedroom, sliding across the floor in his socks right into the area rug. He stumbled a little and then headed for the door. “I got it,” he hissed, trying to keep his voice down. “It’s the pizza, right?!”

Emma jumped up and ran over to him before he could open the door. “Henry, peep hole. Look through it, please.”

Henry did as he was told and then said, “It’s a girl. In a Pequod’s hat and t-shirt. And a hoodie. And a jacket. I think she must be the delivery girl.”

Emma rolled her eyes and then smacked him on the arm. “Okay, smart ass. Open the door. Money’s on the bench there.”  She walked back into the kitchen and pulled down plates and then got out the silverware.  Henry slid into the kitchen and then set the pizzas on the countertop. He opened the lid of the first one and breathed in deep.

“Smell the amazingsauceness?”

“Excuse me, what? Is that a word?”

“I dunno. But it should be,” he said with a laugh. He quickly did a spin around Emma and opened the refrigerator. He pulled out a can of pop and looked at his mom. “So, can I have a Coke? I haven’t had one all day. Pleeeeease?”

“Yes, Henry. You can have a Coke.” Emma looked back at the couch and then at Henry. “Should I wake her up?”

“Um, totally. It’s Pequod’s Pizza, ma. It’s worth waking her up.”

“Okay, okay. Are you eating in your room?”

Henry grinned while he lifted the now open can of Coke up to his lips. “Is that okay? I’m in the middle of some pretty fierce fighting on Modern Warfare. Like, pausing now to have a, like, a sit down meal is just, y’know, totally not cool.”

“Fine. Don’t spill, though. I’ll murder you in your sleep if you do,” Emma said, pointing a finger at him.  

“I won’t!” He exclaimed as she took his pizza and drink back to his room.

Emma walked over to the couch and sat down on the coffee table. She reached forward with a shaky hand and smoothed the brunette’s hair off of her face. The woman’s eyes fluttered open and a small smile spread across her lips. “Hi,” Emma said as she propped her elbows on her knees.

“Hi,” Regina whispered, her voice still thick with sleep. “I’m sorry… I fell asleep.”

“It’s okay.” Emma felt her side braid fall over her shoulder as she reached her hand out to help pull Regina upright. “Pizza’s here.”

Regina took Emma’s outstretched hand and allowed Emma to pull her up from the couch. She stood in front of Emma and smiled. “Thank you, for… for everything.”

Emma felt herself leaning in and before she knew it, she was pressing her lips against the cheek of Regina Mills. It was the second time she had done that, but this time, there was a strange feeling that washed over her. A feeling of memories and home and love and childhood and things she truly didn’t understand crashed into her. It made her heart almost stop beating and her hands started to ache. In all of her life, she had never felt her hands ache from emotion. It was the strangest and truest feeling she had ever felt. She pulled away and looked at Regina. The brunette had clearly felt something, too, because her eyes were just as wide. “What… what was that?”

Regina’s hand was on her chest, holding the material of her light blue, button down shirt right above her heart. “I don’t know.”

Emma could feel the smile that was spread across her lips. She honestly had no idea what she had just felt, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to keep feeling it. “Let’s eat,” she said, holding her hand out for Regina to take. Her heart of course started beating faster when Regina’s fingers intertwined with her own.

* * *

 

“So,” Emma said, breaking an easy silence that had fallen over them. “Can I ask you a question?”

Regina swirled her tumbler full of whiskey and ice and smiled, still staring straight ahead at the TV stand. “I don’t know. Can you?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “You’re worse than a teacher. _May I_ ask a question?”

A wry smile spread over Regina’s lips. “You may.”

“What happened between you and your mom?”

Regina felt her breath catch in her throat. She never thought Emma would ask. Why would she need to know that? Why would she even care?  Regina tried to compose herself as she looked over at Emma. “We just, um, we just grew apart. I guess you could say.”

“Did something happen?” Emma leaned forward from her cross-legged position on the couch. “I mean, I would assume that, but…” Her words trailed off. Regina looked legitimately uncomfortable.

“Yes, Emma, something happened.”

“Is it something that you want to talk, uhhh,” Emma paused. Regina’s eyes looked like a different person’s entirely. What had she just done? “Never mind.”

“Is it something that I want to talk about?” Regina asked. She blinked her eyes that were now filling with tears. “It’s not really,” she said, a tear escaping and rolling down her cheek. She softened as she saw the genuine fear in Emma’s eyes. She knew Emma meant to harm. “My mother was,” Regina paused, took a breath, let it out very slowly, “was very abusive. Mentally, emotionally, sometimes physically.” The last part was barely a whisper.

Emma knew that right then, the best thing she could do was not offer too much sympathy. She had been shown the back of a hand and the buckle side of a belt on more than one occasion in the foster system. No way did she ever accept anyone’s sympathy. Not then and not now. She reached forward and covered the hand that Regina was using to hold her tumbler. She didn’t say a word. She could have said she was sorry, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if other people are sorry that bad shit happened to you. It only matters that the bad shit happened and that you’ve recovered. And that’s it.

Regina finally tore her eyes away from Emma’s and wiped her tears away with her free hand. “Tell me a story,” Regina requested, her voice cracking from emotion.

Emma laughed quietly, “A story, eh?”

“Yeah, a story. A happy one.” Regina smiled when she looked back at Emma finally.

“Hmmm, lemme think,” Emma said as she looked up at the ceiling and thought hard. “Oh! I got one. I met Bill Murray once.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Why would I even kid about something like that?”

“There is absolutely no way that you’ve met Bill Murray.”

“I swear on everything. You told me to tell you a happy story. And I was SO HAPPY. I met him! He was at the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower Michigan Avenue! I swear. I was like, 16 years old. And young and stupid and had gone in there to escape these two goons that were chasing me. And there he was, sitting at the bar, talking to the owner. I promise.”

“Emma, that is so wonderfully amazing.” Regina hiccupped a little and then blushed three shades of red. “Oh, my goodness. I’m a little tipsy, I fear.”

A laugh bubbled out of Emma’s throat. “Yes, I think you’re right about that.”

“I’m so ashamed. I normally hold my alcohol so well.” Regina placed the tumbler on her stomach and held it securely with both hands. “I am pre-apologizing for my inebriated self. Sometimes I say things when I’m tipsy that I don’t mean.”

“Oh, great!” Emma exclaimed. “Just what I like. A harsh drunk!”

Regina giggled a little and her drink sloshed in the glass. “Don’t worry. I admire you way too much to say anything negative.”

“I’m not worried. There’s nothing negative to say,” Emma said, a grin plastered onto her pink lips.

Regina turned her head and eyed Emma. “Oh, really, Miss Swan?”

“Yes, really, Madame Mayor.”

Regina fluffed her hair and then straightened her shirt as she sat up. “You are aware that I have won numerous battles, correct?”

“Oh, I’m sure. Political battles hardly scare me.” Emma laughed. She could play this game all night and still never tire of it. Regina Mills may have just met her match. “I mean, ‘correct’. _Whatever_. Yes. _I know_. I’m sure you always win _everything_.”

Regina’s deep red lips curved slightly upwards and then her straight teeth showed from behind the red. “I do. You’re right.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Emma asked, a sly smile displayed. “What are you trying to win now?” The alcohol the two women had consumed had most definitely gone straight to their heads. Regina was smiling like a predator and Emma was playing the wounded animal bit and Jesus, _what the hell was going on_? The temperature in the room felt like it had shot up at least ten degrees and Emma was pretty sure that the air in the room had come to a screeching halt. She had no fucking idea what she was doing or, obviously, what she was _saying_ , but the look that flashed across Regina’s face was purely sexual. And hot damn, was she fucking sexy as hell.

“I feel like maybe I’ve already won,” Regina replied in her low, husky voice that reminded Emma of _fun_ and bad decisions and late nights at smoky Chicago blues bars.

Emma felt her stomach bottom out and then her senses amplify as Regina leaned forward and set her glass on a coaster on the coffee table. She turned so calmly that Emma felt like she was watching a show on Animal Planet about the hunter vs. the hunted. _Watch as the lion stalks the gazelle…_ Her eyes tracked Regina’s deliberate and _excruciatingly_ slow movements and how she was finally kneeling on all fours in front of Emma, and how her tongue came out and ever so carefully licked her lips before pulling the bottom lip into her mouth, biting down on it with those _gorgeous_ teeth. Emma was about one million percent sure that she was having an out of body experience because even her hearing seemed to not be functioning properly. She couldn’t hear the music that had been playing; she couldn’t even hear her own heartbeat. Not to mention the fact that she couldn’t feel her heart or her body, either.  
Regina sat back on her ankles a little and then smiled at Emma. “You seem to be breathing rather hard, Miss Swan. Is something wrong?”

Emma blinked her eyes hard. She blinked again. And once more. And then finally she found her voice and said, “What?”

Regina let out a laugh as she sat all the way back onto her bent legs, a very satisfied smirk displayed on her gorgeous face. “I told you I win everything. Oh, ye of little faith,” she said with a haughty tone. “Don’t worry. I won’t devour you while I’m tipsy. I have way more class than that.” Just as those words left her mouth, her eyes focused on Henry as he came be bopping down the hallway with a pair of headphones around his neck. “Hello, Henry,” she said, a smile on her lips.

“Hey, Regina. How was your nap?”

Her eyes darted down to Emma and she hissed, “Pull yourself together, Swan,” before fixing her attention back on Henry’s question. “It was very nice. Lovely accommodations here at _Chez Swan_.”    
Emma jerked her head over to Henry, who was rummaging through the pantry while saying how much he liked the sound of _‘Chez Swan’_. “What are you doing?” Emma asked, a little annoyed that he was already hungry.

“I need a snack.”

“We just ate, kid,” Emma said with a laugh.

Henry turned around, an eyebrow raised so high it might as well have been at his hairline. He walked over and took in the sight of his mom, Regina, and their glasses filled with what he assumed was his mom’s favorite whiskey.  He smirked and then with an air of superiority said, “Ma, we ate three hours ago. Geez.”

Emma looked at the clock over the television and her mouth dropped. “Holy cow. Time flies.”

Regina grabbed her glass and took a sip of the whiskey. “It sure does.”  She watched Emma’s eyes focus on everything else _but_ her and it all of a sudden made her question her very brazen display of attraction. She was so tipsy! She didn’t know what she was doing! Oh, shit. Who was she trying to kid? Regina Mills was falling so hard for Emma Swan and there was absolutely nothing that could be done to stop it. Unlike Emma, she had felt that spark the minute their eyes met over the spilled pile of paperwork at the office the first day they met. And Regina knew, within the first hour that it was hopeless. And she knew when Emma chased her down that it was only a matter of time before the stress, the fear of being caught by Robin, the inescapable truths of what was really going on with _everything_ , came pouring out and pushed Regina straight into Emma’s arms.

Her White Knight.

Her Hero.

The other half that she had been searching for…

* * *

 

“Hey, it’s time for bed,” Emma said as she swung the door open to Henry’s room. He was passed out in his gaming chair, his headphones still on and the PlayStation remote still in his hand.  She walked over toward him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Henry, honey, you need to go to bed.”

“Okay, ma. Lemme just kill this thing… yeah.” His voice trailed off.  Emma chuckled to herself as she put the remote away and then shook his shoulder again. He woke up more this time, so she helped him stand up and then he took two steps and fell into his bed.

“Did you brush your teeth?”

“Sure,” he said into his pillow.

“Gross,” Emma responded. “Good night. I love you.”  She bent down and kissed his head.

“Night, ma. Love you more.”

She left his room after turning the desk lamp off and retreated back to the living area. Regina was nowhere to be found. She glanced up at the loft and felt her breath catch in her throat. Regina had just unbuttoned her shirt and was sliding it off her shoulders. Her white lace bra loosened on her shoulders next and then she turned to pick up her pajama top. Emma realized what she was doing and shook herself out of the trance she was in. “You’re a fucking _creeper_ ,” she said under her breath. She went into the kitchen and poured herself and Regina a glass of water.  As she was drinking, Regina came down the loft stairs and turned into the kitchen. “Ready for bed?” Emma said as she pushed the glass of water towards Regina, with a bottle of ibuprofen following it. “Take a couple of those, too. I fear you might wake up with a slight thumper.”

Regina smiled. “Oh, yes, not being a young person anymore kind of has it’s disadvantages, doesn’t it?”  She took the pills and downed the glass of water.

“So,” Emma started as she made her way around the center island in the kitchen and over towards where Regina was standing. “Do you,” she took a deep breath, “Want to just start out in my bed?” She finished the question by pushing the entire breath out of her lungs. It was rushed and she knew she sounded like a teenager again. Emma continued to look down at the floor, her inadequacies making her fear Regina’s response.

For some reason, and Regina wasn’t really sure why, but Emma’s sheepish, shy side was so endearing. It was part of why Regina found herself unable to stop thinking about the blonde. Emma’s composure seemed to melt into a puddle whenever she was around Regina, and while she obviously loved that confident side of Emma, the sweet, giggly, girly Emma made Regina’s heart swell. Regina took in the sight of Emma. Her gray sweatpants were so big that they were almost falling off of her hips and her black tank top wasn’t quite long enough, so there was a thin strip of pale skin that was showing. Regina reached forward, her hand trembling in the dim lighting and the quiet surroundings. When her fingers brushed against the soft skin right above Emma’s sweatpants, the blonde looked up at her, her bottom lip pulled in between her teeth. Emma’s green eyes were begging for more and more and more and Regina had no idea how to close the distance without it changing every last thing between them.

The nervous, shaking mess that Emma was reduced to around Regina all of a sudden seemed to fade away as Emma found herself in the darkness of the brunette’s eyes. She knew she needed to be the one to make the move. She needed to. She wanted to. And as those words sailed through her mind, she leaned forward and captured Regina’s lips between her own. As soon as they touched, Emma felt something inside of her. It was that same feeling she felt earlier when she had kissed Regina’s cheek. The wave of emotion that crashed into her was so forceful it was almost as if she was going to lose her balance and fall over. She brought her hands up and carefully placed one on either side of Regina’s face as she pulled away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her lips feather light against Regina’s, her eyes still closed and reveling in the feeling.

“Don’t… Don’t do _that_ and then apologize,” Regina breathed out, the air tickling Emma’s lips.

Emma opened her eyes and without saying a word, moved her hand to one of Regina’s and held it. She led the woman across the living area and straight into her bedroom. She closed the door behind them and then turned to face Regina. “You’re starting out with me tonight. I need you near me.” Green eyes met dark brown as Emma said so, so, so _sensually_ , “I _want_ you near me.”

“Emma,” Regina whispered.

Emma pulled Regina toward the bed. She slid between the sheets and lifted the top sheet up for the brunette to join her. When Regina was settled beside her, Emma propped herself up on an elbow and whispered, “Let me keep you close. Please.”

Regina was staring up at the ceiling. She was losing a lot of that wonderful tipsy feeling she had only moments earlier that had been feeding into her brazen courage all evening. There was a tremor in her stomach, in her heart, in her hands. What was she doing? Why was she doing this? “What is happening right now?” she asked, her voice a whisper again. Gone was the woman that seemed to thrive on belittling people. She was scared and nervous and she hated not knowing how to handle her emotions. The light coming in the bedroom from the streetlamps outside was just bright enough that she could see the beautiful emerald of Emma’s eyes when she finally locked onto them.

Emma shrugged her shoulders. She saw the worry and fear that had crept into Regina’s eyes and she started to lean in until their lips grazed so lightly against each other’s. Emma could smell the mint toothpaste Regina had used and it excited her in ways she honestly had no idea could happen. The touch of their lips was so feather light and so intimate at the same time. It was truly one of the most erotic moments of Emma’s life. “You’re changing my life, Regina,” Emma finally replied in a breathy voice. “That’s what is happening.”

“Promise me.” She placed a hand on Emma’s neck, kissed her once, deeply, then pulled away. “Promise me you won’t leave when things get even worse.”

“They won’t get worse, Regina.”

Regina’s mind was flying at a million miles an hour. “You don’t know that. What if you start… to hate me? To resent me? What then?” she whispered.

Emma knew deep down that all of her questions were because of what Robin had put her through. She knew it. It had to be that, right? She brought her hand up to Regina’s face and ran a gentle finger along Regina’s jawline. “I promise.” She kissed Regina’s forehead and whispered again that she promises not to leave. And another promise when she kissed Regina’s cheek. “I’m in this.”

  
“Okay,” the brunette said, her breath hitching in her throat. Her heart was beating wildly, knowing that no one truly knew what was going to happen in the future. And the powerful ache in her hands was starting be almost painful. As she willed herself to relax, she allowed Emma to pull her into an embrace. Regina draped an arm around Emma’s waist, her face nuzzled into Emma’s chest. She truly did feel the safest with Emma. Safer than she had ever felt. The only problem was would Emma still feel that way when the truth finally came out? Only time would tell.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Emma sat bolt upright in bed when she heard banging on the condo door. “What the fuck?” she cursed as she extracted herself from the tangle of sheets and blankets and stepped into her sweats that she had taken off when she had gotten hot.  Regina propped herself up with her elbows and looked around. Emma looked at Regina and said, “Stay here.” She opened the bedroom door, straightened her hair as best she could, and padded out, stubbing her toe on Henry’s Nikes and saying ‘fuck’ and ‘dammit’.  She peered through the peephole and saw Ruby on the other side of the door. She quickly unlocked the door and swung it open. “What the actual _fuck_ are you doing? And what time is it?"

Ruby put her hand up and shushed her immediately. “Early. Maybe if you checked your frigging text messages I wouldn’t have to be here waking your ass up like this. Go. Get dressed. Right now. Get dressed right this instant.”

“Ruby, what the hell is going on?”

Ruby grabbed Emma's free hand and shook it to get her attention. “Emma, we found them.”

Emma’s heart shot up into her throat. “What? Are you serious? Where’s August?”

“We found them. We _fucking_ found them. Quit asking questions and go throw some suitable clothing on, Em.” Ruby put her hand on the door and shooed Emma away. “Go.”

Emma finally complied and left the girl standing in the doorway. She flipped around, though when she realized she couldn’t leave Regina alone. And she certainly couldn’t leave Henry here by himself at this hour. “What are we doing with Regina and Henry?”

“August said to tell you that he already spoke with Mary Margaret. She knows we’re coming. Get them up. Seriously, Emma," Ruby said as she snapped her fingers. "You gotta speed it up here.” Ruby took a couple steps into the condo.

“Okay, okay,” Emma said as she turned back around and rushed into her room.

Regina was still propped up on her elbows, her hair messy from sleep. “Emma?”

Emma rushed into her walk-in closet and pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans from one of the drawers along the wall. She quickly ditched the comfy sweats for the tight pants. “They found them. You need to get up and get clothes on. We’re taking you to Mary Margaret’s with Henry.”

Regina climbed out of bed and stood there. “Emma?”

“I’ll let you know what happens. But you have to go to Mary Margaret’s. I can’t leave you here alone. I can’t. I’d be worried sick.” Emma peeked her head out of the walk-in closet as she pulled a black Under Armour compression shirt on over the sports bra she just put on. “I’m sorry. I just… I need to go. This is important. I have to be a part of this.”

“Emma?” Regina said again, this time she was much closer to where Emma was standing right inside the door.

Emma finally stopped and turned to look at the brunette. She was visibly shaking. “Hey,” Emma started as she set her black Dr. Martens back onto the floor and then pulled Regina into a hug. “It’s okay. You’ll be safe at Mary Margaret’s and David’s. I promise.”

“It’s not _me_ that I’m worried about.”

Emma pulled herself out of the hug and immediately placed her lips on Regina’s. “Stop,” Emma whispered as she let go of Regina’s lips. “I’ll be okay.”

"You don't know what he's capable of."

"He doesn't know what _I'm_ capable of," Emma said as she turned Regina around and led her over to the bedroom door where she quickly opened it. She was ushering her out and up the loft stairs when her eyes caught Ruby's wide eyed stare. "Clothes, now," she whispered as Regina reluctantly started climbing the stairs.

"Emma, is that... Um… Did she just come out of your room with you?"

"Ruby, zip it."

Ruby rushed up behind Emma while she walked back to Henry's room. "You think it's safe to sleep with her already? I thought maybe you’d court her a little at first, geez. You know _nothing_ about her."

Emma placed a hand on the doorknob of Henry's bedroom and took a deep breath before turning around and saying, "Ruby, we just slept in the same bed. Stop, please."

"Emma, it’s not that. I just, I don’t want you to… I mean… Just don't get hurt," the girl said, her eyes filled with kindness.

"You were the one that told me to do this."

Ruby smiled, "No one ever takes my advice."

"Great," Emma said as she turned the doorknob and rushed in to wake up Henry.

* * *

 

Emma jumped back into Ruby's taxicab after dropping a very nervous Regina and an even sleepier Henry off at Mary Margaret and David's. Regina was clearly uncomfortable, but Mary Margaret immediately pulled her in, sat her down and got to work making tea. Before Emma left the apartment, she whispered her thanks and her "please take care of them" with such sincerity that it wasn't difficult for Mary Margaret to figure out where her basically surrogate daughter's feelings lay.

"Okay. Where is it?" Emma asked as Ruby flew down Lower Wacker Drive like she was a stunt driver in The Blues Brothers movie. Emma gripped the door handle as she flew in between two cars.

"You're never going to believe this."

"Ruby, what the fuck? You are driving like a fucking lunatic!"

"Emma, they are in the goddamn garage at Regina's."

Emma looked over at Ruby. Her head and neck were leaning forward, her hands gripping the wheel at 10 and 2 and her right leg flexed from slamming her foot onto the gas pedal. "What are you talking about?!"

Ruby easily maneuvered around a line of cars and then glanced over at Emma. "I know."  She looked back at the road and said, "But August and I were in the van last night. And _nothing_ was happening. How could he just fuck her apartment up like that and then not hang around to see how it messed her up? Right? And I just couldn't get past how Fredricksen seriously knew nothing. He was so sweet and kind and clearly saw absolutely _nothing_."

"Wait. He was sweet and kind to you?"

"Emma, I told you I was good with men." Ruby smiled while she sat at the stoplight at Michigan Avenue and Wacker Drive. "Anyway. Then we heard something on the bug I planted. Fredricksen said hi to a man he called ‘LJ’ and then said where's your friend and it hit me. Two men... And LJ? Could that be Little John?? And, shit, what if? And August remembered the code to the garage from when you told him awhile back. We got into the garage and we found the maintenance shed. And who do you think was walking out just as we took cover behind one of the SUVs?"

"Robin?!"

"No, close. Little John. Best part? His name actually _is_ John! Like, what are the fucking odds? Anyway, he was on the phone _with_ Robin. John said he wasn't happy that he had to do this alone. Shitty time for Robin to have to get back to _Storybrooke_. He was saying how the arrow was gone, and that he did what Robin asked him to, which I’m assuming means the trashing of the apartment to look for the money. And then confirmed that he didn't know the person ‘Gina’ was working with and how he couldn't find her at all. Then he apologized about 20 times and then said that he was off tonight. Wouldn't be back until 4pm today.”

“He didn’t know you were listening, right?”

“No. August said there are no video monitors inside the maintenance shed so there was no way that he saw us come in. But wait. Get this." Ruby quickly parallel parked her cab and then turned the ignition off. "He said something about gold _and_ money being found."

Emma looked out the windshield and then at Ruby. "Gold...? What does that mean? Gold _and_ money? So there's _both_? Like gold bars?? Who the fuck has gold bars anymore?"

"No idea. Maybe it's jewelry, too? But Emma... Wait until you see this guy's office." Both Emma and Ruby climbed out of the cab.

Emma pulled her black hood up over her head. The morning light was just now starting to show. This time, Emma came prepared. She put her hand on her gun and slid it out of the holster as they crossed the street. Ruby punched in the garage code, they entered the garage, and then both women plastered themselves to the wall. Emma checked both sides and then crept behind a Lexus.

"Hey, Cagney and Lacey,” came August's voice from across the garage. “The coast is clear.”

Emma and Ruby came into view and Emma took off towards August. "How do you know the coast is clear? Ruby said there aren’t monitors inside the shed?"

"I tapped into the cameras that the doormen have access to.” He held up his handheld video monitor and smiled. “I am shocked that those two assholes haven't yet, but there is no way that they did." August led Emma into the office.

"Did you pick the lock?"

"You know it. Clean pick, too. No evidence." August held his gloved his hands up. "Look," he said, first pointing at the name on the desk. “ _John_. I told you! Now look at _that_.” And then he pointed at two pictures on the bulletin board.

Emma walked over to the board and peered at the pictures. There was one of the big guy, John and his wife and kid. And the other was of Robin, complete with his bow and arrow slung over his back and the weirdest fucking _hunting_ attire she had ever seen. And the woman in the picture _was not Regina_. And Robin was holding a small boy. Were they at a festival or something? Emma looked back at August. "Are you thinking...?"

"Yep. That has to be his wife. And their kid. And I have a feeling you're right around them being part of this kidnapping spree because look at the newspaper clippings that are hung up behind the door."

Emma walked over and looked at the clippings taped to the wall. They were all about the kidnappings and who’s behind them. There was a collage of pictures on one article and there were circles over Robin’s wife and kid and Little John’s wife and kid.

Ruby was standing guard outside the door to the office. She cleared her throat, "His marriage with Regina is not legal. And she obviously doesn't know that."

Emma looked at the picture again. "You capture these images?"

"Yep. Everything in here has been scanned and loaded. We need to get out of here." August headed for the door, grabbing Emma's hand and pulling her with him. "I'll show you everything when we get back to the office."

“We need to figure out how long this guy has been working here. Why didn’t Fredricksen mention him?”

“I didn’t ask, ‘Hey, do you know someone named John?’” Ruby hissed. “Up until about two hours ago we just called him that to be funny. What the hell, though, how is his name John and Robin _Locksley_ and this is fucking crazy as fuck.” Ruby shoved her hands in the pockets of her black coat as they approached the door to the street.

Emma looked at Ruby, “You need to calm down. We can all freak out when we get back to the office. I’ll leave first. Walk to Michigan Avenue. You two wait five minutes, leave, grab your cab and then I’ll hail you around Ontario. Okay?” Ruby and August both nodded before  Emma opened the door, checked to make sure that the coast was clear, and then holstered her gun. She then said, “Good find, you two,” before she left, the door slamming behind her.

Emma slid her phone out her pocket as she walked. She quickly typed out a text to Regina: _We are safe. Are you okay?_

She kept her head up now and made sure to continue scoping out her surroundings. She made it to Ontario way before Ruby and August did, but it didn’t worry her. She knew that Ruby would have known to take a convoluted route. She popped into a Starbucks, silently thanking God that this particular one was open 24 hours. 4 AM was far too early for her. If she was up this early, she was running, and it had been days since she felt like running. She didn’t even want to run from whatever was happening between her and Regina, which was so not like her.

Regina…

Her marriage was a sham… Could that be true? How did she not suspect anything? Why did Robin do this to her? Was it only for money? Maybe the fact that he didn’t love her is why he was so horrible to her…

Emma sipped on her piping hot Americano with cream and sugar and walked back outside just as Ruby’s cab number came into view. She jumped into the backseat after Ruby flew up next to her. “Good timing,” Emma said with a huff.

“Where’s our coffee?” August asked with a whine.

“Shit, did you want one?”

Ruby laughed, “Not unless it’s vodka flavored with tonic and a lime.”

Emma felt her phone buzz and pulled it out to look at it. _I’m fine, Miss Swan. Are you sure you’re okay? What did you find out?_

 _I’ll tell you everything. We are headed back to the office to go over evidence. Sit tight. How’s Henry? Mary Margaret?_ Emma responded, her fingers flying.

_Henry is sleeping. No school again today, remember? Mary Margaret has been hovering constantly. She can’t keep a secret, either. You know that right?_

Emma let out a quiet laugh. _Oh, no, what did she tell you?_

_Nothing bad. You’ll tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine when we see each other later. Please be careful._

_Deal._

Emma put her phone away just as they were pulling into the parking garage at the office. They all three jumped out of the cab and quickly made their way upstairs. As soon as the metal door slammed shut and August locked it, he was headed towards the computer and giant TV monitor to go over evidence. Emma pressed a couple buttons next to the door and blinds electronically came down over the windows and the lights dimmed significantly. Ruby followed Emma over to the small area where there were 4 tall chairs around a bar top height table and sat down. Emma slid a pad of paper towards her and then brought over pens and pencils. She flipped a huge post-it pad over onto the table and smiled. “I hope you have good handwriting. You’re officially the scribe now.”

Ruby laughed. “It’s not _bad_. I mean, my teachers were always super excited about reading my papers.”

“Good.”

August came over to the table carrying his trusty iPad and sat down. “Okay, here is the evidence.” He tapped out a couple commands and then the pictures that they had taken and the paperwork they had scanned in was now up on the TV monitor. August used a stylus to pull a couple pictures up, zoomed in close and then said softly, “So, Little John and Robin Hood. Is it safe to assume Robin’s wife’s name is Maid Marion?”

Emma took a very deep breath. “Well, before today, I would have told you to shut the fuck up and quit trying to be funny, but… I have a feeling you might be right. Which confuses me and scares me.”

August smiled. “I know. Believe me. I know.”

They all three looked at the evidence. Each piece they went over was documented, labeled, filed, and then re-looked at it in greater detail. There were so many pictures. August had broken into the computer and found files and files and files of pictures of Regina.

Regina walking into the building.

Regina driving.

Regina at the store… at the library… and the grocery store… and the spa and the coffee shop.

Regina driving into the parking garage and then leaving the parking garage.

At least 1500 pictures taken with what had to be a telephoto lens and a pretty steady hand. And it was clear that they knew about Regina way before the first arrow was shot at her car tire, which there was also a picture of. Why she decided to park her car outside of the parking garage that day Emma would never know.

Thankfully there were no pictures of Regina _inside_ of her apartment. And there were no pictures of Emma, August, or Ruby. Or the van. And August confirmed that the camera was found inside the office and the files on it were also copied.

There were notes and notes upon notes about what times Regina went anywhere. There were voicemails that August downloaded from the computer, as well. Some of them were garbled and hardly intelligible, but “Gina” was said, “gold”, “money”, and “do it or your loved ones will feel your failure”, which thankfully Ruby was able to understand those lines. Her hearing was crazy good.

When they had finally logged every piece of evidence, August and Ruby started to hang the large post-its onto the whiteboard wall that was behind the monitor. After they had laid everything out, it basically looked like a flow chart or a family tree. How every person so far was involved and why. Emma and August were both impressed by Ruby’s note-taking abilities.

“Okay, so we have Robin and Little John. Their significant others have been kidnapped by an unknown person. We’ll call that unknown person the Sheriff of Nottingham, just to keep it fun.” That comment garnered eye rolls from both women, but Ruby still scribbled ‘Sheriff of Nottingham’ above the words ‘unknown person’. “So, Maid Marion and baby Hood, along with Mrs. Little John and baby Little John have been kidnapped and are now being held ransom for a substantial amount of money. How much we don’t know, correct?”

Emma nodded her head. “Correct. Regina said she did not count the money. She was going to and couldn’t because when she went back it had been moved already. But even if she would have it doesn’t matter, because that could have only been a portion of the ransom money since clearly he was stealing from people.”

“I think what you mean to say is that he was ‘robbing from the rich to give to his poor ass’,” August said, a twinkle in his eye.

“I can’t even be mad at you anymore for these comments,” Emma commented while rubbing her temples.

“So, anyway. That means that the money bag could have had anything from $10,000 or a million dollars. We have no idea.”

“Clearly it was more than ten grand. If that was the case I’d give it to him right now.”

Ruby’s eyes went saucer wide. “You have ten grand just chillin’ in a bank account?”

“Uh, yes. And so will you if you stick with us, my friend,” Emma said with a smile. “Now I think you two need to follow the big guy more. Is that okay? I mean, are you two comfortable with that?”

“Absolutely. I am not scared. There’s more to this story. I can feel it in my bones.”

Emma smiled, “And here I thought you hated this job.”

“Em, sweetheart, you know I love this shit. I am going to be a mystery writer one day! Just you wait,” August said while laughing. “Now, here’s the deal. We will follow Little John tonight. He’ll be back at 4pm. And then we’ll see what happens.”

“Okay. Fine.” Emma watched as August’s handy evidence log work closed down from the TV monitor and he slapped the iPad cover closed. “I’m going to go pick up Henry and Regina. It’s getting-” she glanced at her watch, “Holy shit! It’s almost noon!”

Ruby yawned. “No wonder I’m beat.” She smiled when she leaned forward at the table and casually said, "So, Emma slept with Regina last night."

Emma snapped her head towards Ruby, her mouth hanging open. "Ruby, what the _fuck_?"

August's eyes were fixed on Emma. "Um, excuse me? Don't you think it's a little hypocritical to sleep with a client?"

"First of all, Ruby, you're fired."

"Oh, come on, I would have told him behind your back anyway. You should be happy that I'm not being two-faced."

Emma rolled her eyes and then looked back at August. "Second, we literally just _slept_. That is all." A blush crept onto her cheeks and she licked her lips. "Well, we kissed, but holy shit why am I telling you guys this?"

Both August and Ruby, in unison, shouted, "EMMA!"

"What?!" The blonde shouted back.

"Was it good?" Ruby asked, a smile spread across her lips.

Emma looked at her and then at August and then down at her hands. She let out a breath. "It was _really_ good," she answered finally with a voice that was almost inaudible. “I shouldn’t be talking about this! Her fucking non-husband is trying to murder her over money she didn’t steal and I’m gushing about how amazing it is to kiss her! I’m so ridiculous.”

August let out a laugh and said cockily, "I never want you to tell me I can't fuck the clients ever again."

"I didn't fuck her, August." Emma crossed her arms across her chest and sighed, "I don't even know if I know what to do with a woman."

Ruby started to laugh as she said, "That’s a good one.” Her laughter quieted down and she realized that Emma was being completely serious. “Wait, what? You ARE a woman. You fucking do what _you_ like... I mean, you've honestly never slept with a woman?"

"No, oh, my God, have _you_?"

"Um, yes."

"You have?!" August practically had to pick himself up off the floor.

"Jesus, you two are crazy. Yes, I sleep with women. And men. It's called being bisexual. Read a fucking book," Ruby said, her exasperated breath a sign that she was annoyed. "Anyway, Emma, look at me." Emma brought her eyes up to Ruby's. "It's not hard. It's scary the first time, I know. But when it happens, just calm down. Take control. Be the bad ass that you are. I promise you that if you approach it with confidence you will be absolutely fine."

Emma's lopsided grin spoke volumes. "I'm so nervous. What if I mess up? What if it's not good? Oh, my God, what if she doesn't want that from me? Fuck. I mean, what if she just wants to kiss and whatever but nothing else."

"No chance."

"August, how would you know?"

"Because I saw her rest her head onto your chest and tell you that you're the only person that makes her feel safe. And if she kissed you, she's not a teenager that is scared of what comes next. She is DTF."

"Totally," Ruby chimed in.

"Down to fuck. Really? You both are so crass." Emma started to laugh as she grabbed her coat. "Go get some sleep. Text me if something happens.”

“I will,” August said, mock saluting as Emma walked towards the door. “Go get _Gina_!”

“Do _not_ call her that,” Emma shouted before leaving the apartment.

* * *

 

“Emma! Thank God. I was starting to worry,” Mary Margaret said as she pulled Emma into a hug.

“I’m fine,” Emma said, practically losing her breath from the bear hug. “Mary Margaret, stop. I’m fine.” The blonde extracted herself from the hug and pushed herself into the apartment. As soon as she entered she saw Regina sitting on the couch, her legs pulled up and crossed. She crossed the apartment in three strides, stripping her black jacket off as she went. “Hi,” Emma whispered as she leaned down and put her hands onto either side of the brunette’s face. “Are you okay?”

Regina felt her entire body warm at the touch. “I’m okay, dear. I promise.” She brought her hand up and covered Emma’s right hand. She squeezed, “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me, too.” Emma sat down on the ottoman, still looking into Regina’s eyes. “Where’s Henry?”

“He is with David. They went to the movies.”

Mary Margaret cleared her throat to make sure her presence was remembered and Emma turned her head to look at her. “Thank you for taking care of them. Seriously.”

“You’re welcome, honey.” Mary Margaret took a few steps closer to the two women. She wasn’t sure how to take the scene that had just played out in front of her. What was going on there? Was it something she wanted to know? In her head, she was screaming ‘no, she didn’t want to know,’ but in her heart she had already figured it out. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what love looks like. Her forehead ached from the emotion she was holding there and she said so softly, “Are you okay?”

Emma smiled at Mary Margaret and then said softly, “You worry too much about me. You know that, right?”

“I know, Emma, but you know how we feel about you. You’re our _family_. The only family we have aside from each other.”

Regina was watching Emma as Mary Margaret talked. Of course, while Emma was gone, Mary Margaret had told Regina everything. How she couldn’t get pregnant now. How she wasn’t really sure why they befriended Emma all those years ago, but they had and then she ended up running away from her last foster home. And they were so scared that something bad would happen to her. And after about ten years, they reconnected and now… Regina had remembered the look that flashed over Mary Margaret’s face as she spoke. She knew right then and there that regardless of the fact that they were the same age, Emma was the person they took care of. Like a daughter.

Emma’s face softened and she felt her annoyance at being fawned over starting to melt away. “You’re right. I’m sorry,” she said with a very genuine tone.

Mary Margaret came and sat down on the arm of the chair. She crossed her left leg over her right and then folded her hands in her lap. “You realize I have a lot of pictures of you that would be wonderful blackmail material should you ever forget how much we love you.” She lifted her eyebrows up and then tilted her chin up just a hair. “Just remember that, missy.”

Emma pressed her lips together, held back the smile that was threatening to show, and said, “You would never.”

And Regina said softly, “She sort of already did.”

Mary Margaret gasped and Emma flipped her head towards Regina. “ _What_?”

“Regina! You promised!” Mary Margaret exclaimed, a smile spread across her thin lips.

Regina smiled, “The pictures were so cute. You. A _teenager_. With glasses, even.”

Emma shook her head back and forth and then looked at Mary Margaret. “You are so on my shit list.”

Regina reached forward and put her hand on Emma’s knee. “It’s not like I didn’t like them.”

A blush crept up Emma’s neck and she ducked her head. “We gotta get out of here. This no sleep thing is killing me,” she said, her eyes moving up to glance at Regina’s dark ones.

“Will you two at least let me drive you?” Mary Margaret asked.

“Yes,” Emma said when she looked up at her. “Please.”

Regina still had her hand on Emma’s knee and she squeezed it lightly. Emma’s hand moved to cover the brunette’s and before she really realized it, their fingers were intertwined and they were holding hands. Basically in front of someone that was like a mother to her. If that wasn’t the weirdest thing to happen today, she didn’t know what was. Aside, of course, from learning that fucking Robin Hood and Little John were alive and well and dwelling in a maintenance shed in downtown Chicago…


	10. Chapter 9b

**A/N: Just a reminder that this is actually a continuation of the previous chapter - so part 2 of Chapter 9. :) And thank you ALL again for the kind reviews and the follows. You guys are amazing. AND OMG WHAT AN AWESOME EPISODE TONIGHT!**

Emma rolled over in her bed and looked at Regina. The stereo was playing her iPod's eclectic playlist she liked to call "When You Aren't Sure What to Say." Because sometimes, music says it better than anything she could come up with. And in that moment, as Ani DiFranco sang 'Falling is Like This' and the mid-afternoon sun was streaming in through the bedroom window casting a beautiful glow to the brunette's skin, Emma knew that there was no way she could ever find words to describe what she was feeling. Regina's eyes were closed, the blanket pulled up to her shoulders, her face clear of traces of makeup after she had showered. Falling  _was_  like this… It was reckless and crazy and she was  _beautiful_.

"See something you like, Miss Swan?" Regina's voice broke the silence, her eyes still closed.

Emma smiled. "Sorta," she answered and Regina's eyes fluttered open. The brunette leaned back so she could look at Emma. "Do you want to know what happened now or later?"

Honestly? Regina didn't know what she wanted. Did she really want to know everything that Emma found out? What if what she found out wasn't good? What if she found out more than Regina had told her? "I don't know," she answered. "Now, I guess."

"I was right about these things all tying into those kidnappings." Emma tore her gaze away from Regina. "I was right and it's way deeper than you think."

Regina huffed a tiny amount. "I doubt that."

"Robin is married."

"Emma," Regina sighed. "Don't be an idiot. I know he's married. He's married to me."

"No, Regina." Emma took a very deep breath. She was still looking up at the ceiling, avoiding the brunette's stare. "He's married to  _another_  woman. And they have a son. And that's who has been kidnapped. Along with his cohort's wife and son."

"Emma. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Emma turned her head to look at Regina. Her eyes were filled with tears.  _Oh, fuck._  Tears. "I'm saying that your marriage to him wasn't real," she whispered.

"Stop, please." Regina sat up from her position on the bed. "Just stop talking."

Emma followed Regina's movements and also sat upright. "I'm really sorry," she said, placing a hand on the brunette's back.

"You think he was using me."

"Yes, I do think that." Emma rubbed back and forth on Regina's back. "And I think most of that money was probably  _your_  money."

"It was the town's money, Emma," Regina said, her voice so low. "I knew it was missing. I looked at the accounts every single day. And I knew money was disappearing, but I didn't care. I let my need to be loved outweigh my need to be a good civil servant." She turned her face towards Emma, her head tilting, showing her defeat. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that sooner."

"How much was missing?"

"Last time I checked? $50,000."

"Jesus Christ, Regina." Emma put her head in her hands. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"Would it have mattered? I still don't have the money, Emma. And I certainly don't think you knowing how much money I knew about was that big of a deal. There was more than $50,000 in that suitcase."

Emma's head was still in her hands. She wasn't sure if she was mad or frustrated or just plain beat from being up so early. "I don't even know what to say right now." She raked her fingers through her blond hair and then looked back at Regina. "What else haven't you told me?" Regina froze and Emma saw the fear in her eyes. "Regina? What else haven't you told me? I just told you that your husband isn't even your husband. I just told you that he's married to someone else. He has a goddamn kid and was  _stealing_  from you. And you're not even shocked! So, I ask you again, what aren't you telling  _me_ , goddammit?" Emma was definitely getting to her boiling point and was feeling a little put out. And now she was finding out that Regina had kept something pretty big from her. What the hell was going on here?

"Why do you automatically assume that I am holding more from you?" Regina asked, frustration showing through, even though deep down she knew that Emma had every right to make assumptions. "You think you have some sort of super-power to tell if I'm lying?"

Emma rolled her eyes and after a very deep, very annoyed sigh said, "As a matter of fact, I typically  _can_ tell when someone is lying. And right now? You are being  _ridiculous_. For someone who keeps saying you are telling me everything, you sure are getting defensive." If Regina wanted to push, Emma was going to push back. "You not getting at all upset about anything that I've told you is a very big indicator that something much deeper is going on here!"

"Oh, I see. Because I'm not throwing a childish fit and in a heap on the floor  _crying_  that means I'm not upset?" Regina saw Emma nod her head. "Well, that must be how  _you_  deal with things." Regina finally looked away from Emma, her face getting hotter and hotter.

"That is not what I'm saying, Regina!"

"No, it's not what you're saying, is it?" Regina ran her fingers through her dark hair and then, with a voice she barely recognized as her own said, "The worst part about all of this is that you wouldn't believe me even if I tried to tell you everything." She moved and slid off of the bed. "I need some air." Regina was across the room before Emma could even process what she said.

Emma's hand that she had raised to try and stop Regina dropped to her lap and she huffed out a breath. "What the fuck does that even  _mean_?" She looked across the room at the window. The sun's light was beginning to change signaling that it was getting later and later. Her brain hurt. Her body hurt. Everything was aching. And all she wanted to know was why Regina's demeanor had changed so drastically so suddenly! Gone was the woman Emma had been protecting. She had never seen someone erect walls around herself so quickly in her whole life as Regina just had done. Something wasn't right and Emma had no idea how to figure it out. What did Regina mean that Emma wouldn't believe her? "This is bullshit," Emma mumbled as she climbed off the bed, left the bedroom and looked around the condo. Regina had gone outside to the patio. She was leaning against the railing, the wind blowing her chocolate hair to the side. If this moment hadn't been surrounded by shit, the sight would have taken Emma's breath away.

When Emma opened the door to the patio, the wind whipped past her. The temperature had dropped significantly and she remembered Reggie the doorman saying something about snow towards the end of the week. She walked out onto the patio and closed the door behind her. Regina didn't move, didn't even seem to be breathing, actually. Emma took a few small steps until she was closer to the brunette and cleared her throat. Still nothing. Emma, even though she was normally not the one to cave first, finally said, "What do you mean I won't believe you even if you tried to tell me everything?" And with those words, Regina finally moved. She turned her head to look back at Emma, her face stained with tears that were drying quickly in the cool, windy conditions.

"I see I got your attention."

"Yes, but I'm telling you right now that if we don't go inside I'm going to freeze to death." Emma reached out and put her hand on Regina's arm and squeezed. "Come inside and talk to me. Please."

Regina allowed Emma to pull her into the condo. As soon as the door closed, Regina crossed her arms over her chest and said, with barely any volume, "I am a grown woman, Miss Swan."

Emma turned and looked back at Regina. "I know you are."

"Do you?"

"Yes. And so am I," Emma said with firmness. She took a couple steps closer. "I can handle the truth. This isn't a movie where you can bark at me that I can't handle things or won't believe you when you haven't even tried me yet."

Regina knew if she came clean right then and there it would all be over. Everything. The touches, the glances, the hand holding, the amazing kisses. All of it would be over. She knew in order to believe in herself it meant believing in Emma and what this woman in front of her stood for and  _meant_. Telling her everything wasn't an option. She didn't want to make Emma turn the other way and run. The idea of losing the blonde now was too much for Regina to bear. Especially not after finally coming to terms with the fact that as much as she wanted to never let herself love again, Emma had found her way over Regina's self-built walls and right into her heart. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, part of the reason that I'm okay is because-" Regina stopped herself and gathered every last ounce of courage she had, "is because of you," she finished with that husky voice. She stared at the blonde, her thin, pink lips were slightly parted and her green eyes were searching for what to believe. Regina took a very deep breath and softly said, "I think… I think I'm falling… falling for yo-"

Emma didn't even let the brunette finish her sentence. It took no time at all for her to leave whatever fear and worry she had in the dust as she lurched forward and into Regina's space, her hands quickly finding the brunette's face. She pressed her own lips against the luscious, full, rose colored ones of the woman in front of her and kissed her with as much passion as she could find within herself. Her tongue danced with Regina's, her teeth grazed against the soft flesh of Regina's lips; her hands weaved through her beautiful, chocolate colored hair… Emma could feel Regina's hands holding onto her hips. "I'm falling for you, too, Regina," Emma whispered between kisses. "So hard."

"I'm sorry," Regina murmured as Emma's kisses left a burning trail across her jawline and down her neck. "I didn't mean to get angry."

Emma came back up to Regina's face and looked deep into those dark eyes that had captivated her when she first met the brunette. "Don't. It's okay," she whispered before she placed a very gentle kiss on the tip of Regina's nose. "Just trust me. I'm not going to hurt you." Emma's words were laced with hope and freedom and Regina knew in that moment that she needed to trust Emma. If for no other reason than it's what you do when love is stronger than fear.

"I do. Oh, Emma, I do trust you." Regina kissed Emma deeply before pulling away and saying with determination and lust, "Take me to bed," she paused and leaned in closer to Emma's ear, a whisper poured out, "Make me forget."

Emma's eyes widened when the words rushed past her ear. Her mind instantly filled with a hundred nervous thoughts and for the briefest of moments she wondered if she just turned and ran out of the condo if Regina would ever forgive her. But then Ruby's words of encouragement flooded her brain. And Regina's eyes were pleading and her lips were parted and her scent was intoxicating, the lavender and spice and a hint of cinnamon that Emma was sure she never imagined being a turn-on before. Emma started to back away from the brunette, pulling on her hand, leading her toward the bedroom.

As they turned the corner into the bedroom, Emma knew it was now or never.  _Find the courage, find the self-confidence, find the ability to perform or just stop right now with the charade._ When her eyes met Regina's, finding all of those things became a whole lot easier. Emma brought her hands up to the buttons on the brunette's light blue button down shirt. With an agonizingly slow pace, she unbuttoned each button, making sure to keep glancing up through her eyelashes at those darkening eyes. When the last button came free, Emma felt a stirring in her chest. Hope and fear and courage and light and dark and as she slipped her hands underneath the material and slowly slid the shirt off of Regina's shoulders, revealing gorgeous, perfect, light olive colored skin, she knew that it didn't matter what had happened in her life before this moment. Everything had been leading her here. To this woman. To this night. To this chance to find something real and honest. The shirt fell to the floor in a heap and a smile graced the blonde's lips as Regina glanced down at the shirt and then back up at Emma. She let her eyes wash over the brunette's skin, her shoulders, her sternum, her flat stomach, her beautiful light pink lace bra where Emma could clearly see the outline of dark nipples through the material. She reached forward to unbutton Regina's dark blue jeans.

"Your hands are trembling," Regina whispered; her fingers hovered over Emma's, her other hand gently guided the blonde's face to look at her. Beautiful green pools that seemed to hold so much were shining and dancing in the fading afternoon light.

Emma moistened her lips before saying with a gleam in her green eyes, "I'm kinda new to this whole 'undressing a woman' thing."

Regina couldn't fight the smile that played on her lips. She immediately leaned forward and captured those beautiful pink lips in between hers and kissed Emma like it was the last time she'd be allowed to. Her tongue mingled with Emma's, she could feel the smoothness of porcelain, she could taste a hint of cherry lip-gloss and she could smell Emma's skin. Her scent was almost too much for the brunette to handle. It was spice and floral and leather and lavender and reminded Regina of summer and late nights sitting on the porch drinking wine and laughing. She felt Emma pulling from the kiss and then her jeans were being pushed down her legs. Regina's nerve endings were on fire with each breath of air that Emma breathed onto her skin. Her own breath hitched in her throat when Emma's fingertips lightly danced over the edges of her light pink thong. If there was ever a moment she was happy she dressed for the occasion, this was most definitely that moment.

Emma's head was swimming. She was making mental note of about a million things. The tone of Regina's thighs, her abdominal muscles that twitched when Emma's fingertips brushed over them, the way the brunette's eyes closed and a soft sigh escaped when her belly button was traced lightly. When Emma stood up, she took a deep breath. "So, now what?"

Regina let out a laugh. "Oh, Emma Swan. You're hopeless."

Emma reached down to the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it up and over her head. Her hair spilled over her shoulders, covering most of her black bra. "I guess I'm next, right?" A smirk crept upon her lips as she turned around slowly and then she said with an air of supremacy, "I'm going to just get out of these clothes."

Regina put a hand on her hip and huffed. "And what do you propose that I do?"

"You watch," Emma said over her shoulder. She unhooked the clasp at the front of her racer back bra and it went limp. It slid down her arms, gravity pulling each article of clothing that was discarded into that heap on the floor. She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her dark gray yoga pants, slid them to the floor, but before she could turn, she felt Regina's hands on her sides. "Well, hello," Emma whispered.

"Hi," Regina breathed, her hot breath rushing across Emma's skin, causing goose bumps in its wake. "Red panties?"

Emma giggled. Like a  _schoolgirl_. If only August could see her now.  _Giggling like a fucking schoolgirl._ "Would you expect anything less?" As soon as she said those words, she felt Regina's fingertips slip underneath the waistband of the garment and then before she knew it, she was completely naked, the panties long since forgotten, joining the other articles of clothing on the floor.

Regina pressed her lips into the back of the blonde's shoulders, kissing each birthmark and freckle before slipping her hands around Emma's waist. She bit down ever so lightly on Emma's shoulder before she turned around immediately went for Regina's bra. Emma's skillful fingers had the bra unsnapped and her panties slid to the floor before Regina could even take another breath. "Thought you said you had never done this before?"

Emma looked up through her eyelashes at the brunette and displayed her signature smirk. "I've taken off my own bra before, ya know," she said coyly. "Now come here before I lose my nerve."

Regina leaned her head back, a deep throaty laugh escaping, and she felt Emma's lips latch onto her pulse point right below her ear. And her hands were on her breasts and she guiding Regina towards the bed, and she was  _leading_. She was actually leading. And for once, Regina didn't have to lead. And it felt amazing.

When their bodies landed on the soft material of the bed and immediately Emma felt Regina's legs intertwine with hers. She rolled Regina onto her back, her lips hovering over Regina's and her eyes locked onto those dark, dark eyes.

Regina's voice broke the silence when she asked, in a voice that was so, so, so kind, "Are you scared?"

"I'm only scared that you won't like me afterwards."

"Oh, Emma. Emma, Emma,  _Emma_ ," Regina whispered the last Emma's with so much sincerity that she honestly could have not continued with that thought and it would have been okay. But she finished with a gentle encouragement. "You and here and us? All of this is what I have been dreaming of since I was a child," she paused and pushed the blonde's hair behind her ear, "wishing I could find my white knight."

"Regina," Emma whispered.

"No, honey, it's you. You are all I want. Please believe that." The brunette placed a kiss on Emma's lips and then very softly said, "I'm  _so very happy_."

"So am I," Emma whispered next to Regina's ear. And she was. She was the happiest she had ever been.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Emma’s eyes fluttered open. Her arm was numb and whole body was sore and as she went to move, she realized that she was being spooned by a _very_ naked Regina Mills. Her heartbeat started to race as she quickly replayed the events of what had happened last night. She felt a blush creep up from her stomach, spread out through her chest and up through her face when she remembered each event. From the fight to the talking to the kissing to the insane amount of touching and undressing… And oh God, the things Regina had _done_ to her. And her to Regina!

She closed her eyes and immediately images of Regina’s face hovering over hers flashed into her head, her dark eyes almost black and her knee pressing ever so gently between Emma’s thighs. Her mind moved quickly, remembering the feeling of Regina’s feather soft touch... tracing the steps that her hands had taken... over her breasts, her abdominal muscles, her thighs, even her calves. When was the last time a man paid attention to her _calves_? When was the last time a man did anything that excited her?

Regina had confessed that Emma wasn’t the first woman she slept with and that it had happened years earlier in the craziest of situations. The feeling of embarrassment and nervousness at not being good enough for Regina had flooded Emma’s entire body. Her mind recalled how the brunette had kissed her deeply, whispered how she was the first woman to make her feel this, to make her feel whole, and how she wouldn’t have slept with another person ever if she knew this was how it was going to be when she found the right one.

Emma knew that just recalling all of these moments and feelings were getting her worked up and honestly, she didn’t mind. How often did she wake up and actually want to spend the morning with the person she woke up next to?

Emma made herself open her eyes. From her spot on the bed, she could tell that whatever storm was set to hit them was currently in process. She shifted slightly, rolling gently so she could face Regina. The brunette didn’t open her eyes, just continued with her steady breaths indicating that she was still very much asleep. Emma’s eyes moved over Regina’s features. Her clear olive skin, her perfectly shaped eyebrows, her beautiful lips, that insanely sexy scar.

Just the thought of that scar made her hands ache. Tracing it with her tongue only hours earlier, she remembered telling Regina how beautiful it was. And Regina’s smile and blush that had filled her cheeks, saying how she’s always been self-conscious about it and how maybe one day she would tell Emma how she got it. And she remembered the way Regina came undone underneath her when Emma’s two fingertips found Regina’s clit and made sure to not stop until she was being begged to please, please, please, oh God, Emma, please… All she knew as she watched the brunette arch her back and press her beautiful breasts into the air was that before this, she was floating around aimlessly and now Regina Mills was the only thing tethering her to this fucked up world.

When Emma leaned in to place her lips on the soft skin right above Regina breasts, there was a moment when she couldn’t actually believe this had all happened. In all of her years, she never thought she’d be doing this with a woman. And before last night, she had literally no idea what she was doing.

But it fit.

It _all_ fit.

And everything about Regina _made sense_ and for the first time since she could remember, it wasn’t something she wanted to rush. She wanted to enjoy every touch, every glance, every moment they kissed and made each other come apart at the seams.

Emma heard a soft chuckle come from the other woman when she very gently slid her hand over Regina’s hips. Emma pushed Regina’s hip away from her, making the woman roll onto her back. “Good morning,” Emma whispered against Regina’s chest, her breath making the skin moist.

“Good morning to you, too,” came Regina’s reply, her voice deep with sleep. She smiled and then pressed her lips together and a moan escaping when she felt Emma’s hand slip between her thighs. “Emma,” she whispered, her voice pushing past her teeth and lips and into the air like a prayer.

“I feel like I didn’t get enough of this last night,” Emma replied, her lips hovering over a dark nipple.

“You mean the 8 or 9 orgasms you caused weren’t enough for you?”

“I thought it was 12?”

Regina’s cheeks blushed a dark pink. She covered her face with her hands and then peeked at Emma through a slit in her fingers. “You really counted, didn’t you?” She watched as Emma nodded, a very sly smile developing on her lips. “And it was 12?”

“Actually, I’m pretty sure there were 13,” Emma said, taking a deep breath and moving to place her lips against Regina’s. “All I know is the first one you came apart before I even touched you.”

“Emma!” Regina hissed. “You’re embarrassing me.”

“Well, I’m just stating the facts.”

“Oh, well, if we’re going to state the facts, then we should also let the record show that your first one happened while I was straddling you and riding your hips.” She dropped her voice down on that last part, licking her lips afterwards.

“Holy mother _fuck_ , Regina,” Emma whispered. Her entire body went numb. “You… _You… Damn_.”

“What?” Regina asked, her eyes shining and shining and shining.

“You are so _ridiculously_ hot.”

“As are you, my dear.” Regina smoothed a hand over Emma’s forehead and down the back of her head. “You’re _gorgeous_ ,” she whispered, her eyes almost filling with tears. She was so in over her head there was no saving her now.

“Regina,” Emma said with a shaky breath. She leaned forward, brushing her very bruised lips over the brunette’s. “I had no idea how much fun this could be.”

The confession made Regina’s heartbeat start to flutter and her skin flush with heat. She slid her hands down her face, her neck, over her breasts to where Emma’s hands had settled on her lower abdomen. She made locked her dark eyes onto Emma’s green, pushing the blonde’s left hand further between her legs. “Let’s not stop while we’re ahead then,” Regina finally said, her voice silky smooth. And when she felt two of Emma’s fingers slip so easily inside of her she silently thanked whoever was responsible for bringing Emma Swan into her life. Because this? Having someone who loved her with so much abandon and passion was all she had ever wanted.  

* * *

 

Regina brought her eyes up to Emma’s as she poured a cup a coffee for herself. The blonde was sitting on a stool, reading The Chicago Tribune, scanning it for clues, of course. She let her eyes travel down the woman’s cheeks, her neck, the gentle rise and fall of her chest with each intake of breath, her biceps, her hair as it fell in loose curls over her shoulder. She knew what the feeling stirring inside of her meant. She knew it. But did Emma feel it, too? And if she did, how much longer until it all came crashing down?

Emma reached over and picked up her coffee mug and took a sip before looking up and catching Regina’s dark eyes staring at her. She smiled. “You okay?”

Regina shrugged a shoulder and then smiled back. “Sore. But I’ll survive.” She smiled even wider when she noticed the crimson on Emma’s cheeks.

“Jesus,” Emma mumbled under her breath. Her eyes noticed that the white, terry cloth robe’s sash was coming undone and all that stood between her and Regina’s gorgeous body was a thin piece of fuzzy material. She looked back at the paper and let out a very deep breath. “I can’t even look at you without wanting to rip that robe off and take you right on the floor.”

“You realize there’s nothing stopping you from doing just that, Miss Swan,” Regina drawled, her voice sexy and sure. And then, without warning, there was a stern knock on the door. She let out a huff. “Can you please elaborate on why people feel the need to bang on your door so incessantly?”

Emma laughed, stood up and went over to Regina. She leaned forward to capture those full lips between hers and kissed the brunette deeply. “I’m sorry,” she replied so tenderly that it made Regina’s knees weak. She pulled away before saying, “Well, three people have the code to get upstairs. Henry, August, and Mary Margaret. So, it’s one of them.”

“Should I hide? What should I do?” Regina loudly whispered and then she tightened the sash to the robe.

“Stop,” Emma said, looking back over her shoulder at Regina. “I don’t care who knows about us.” She peeked through the peephole, unlocked the door, and then opened it, her hand on her hip. “Really? You couldn’t call or text first? I’m a little busy.”

August pushed his way inside, Ruby hot on his tail, but as she approached the kitchen, she looked up and saw Regina standing there with the robe and the coffee and the freshly fucked hair and the look of pure bewilderment on her face. “Uhhh,” Ruby started, already feeling a stutter in her voice. She grabbed onto August’s leather coat covered arm. He had turned back to face Emma before he saw Regina standing there. “August, we probably should have called first,” she hissed.

August shushed Ruby and then did a double take when he finally noticed Regina standing in the kitchen. He looked back at Emma, his eyes wide. “Well, shit. You were serious.”

“Yes, August, I was serious.” Emma brushed past both of the visitors and made her way over to Regina. Their eyes locked and Emma tilted her head, letting Regina know with only a look that it was okay and not to worry. “What’s going on, you two?”

August couldn’t wipe the dumbfounded look off his face. He continued to stand in the middle of the entryway staring at Emma and Regina, who looked insanely comfortable given the situation. He felt Ruby pull on his arm again and walked towards the bar top where a cup of coffee was being poured for him by Emma and a bag of bagels being placed on the counter by Regina.

“We need to talk to you, Emma,” Ruby said in a much quieter voice than normal. “Alone.”

“Uhhhh,” Emma looked at Ruby. “You know anything you have to say you can say in front of Regina.”

Ruby forced a smile when her cup of coffee was given to her next. She looked up at Regina and their eyes locked. Ruby felt her stomach drop to her feet. “Thank you,” she said as she made herself as comfortable as possible on one of the stools. “We have news. From the... forest?” Her voice rose at the end of her sentence and she grimaced.

“Forest?” Regina asked.

Emma raised her hand and shook her head. “Long story,” she said softly. “What happened?” Her eyes traveled from Ruby to August, who was still standing there with that stupid look on his face. “August, seriously, snap out of it. What happened?”

He reluctantly pulled himself from the thoughts racing through his mind and reached forward for one of the stools. He pulled it from the counter and then grabbed his coffee before sitting down and sighing. “Robin wasn’t there last night. He’s back in Storybrooke. That was confirmed.”

“Wait, what?” Regina placed her hand on Emma’s arm. “Emma, what’s… going on?”

Emma turned her head to look at Regina. “Well, we were kind of busy last night. I didn’t get a chance to tell you the whole story.”

“Oh, God,” August said under his breath.

Emma rolled her eyes and then took a drink of her coffee. “I think it’s super important for you to remember that these are all just speculations we’re making here, Regina. All of them.”

Regina leaned her hip against the countertop and then tried to smile. She had seen that look on Ruby’s face and clearly August was hiding something. She wasn’t stupid, “I think it’s imperative for you to remember who you’re speaking to. I can handle it.”

“Okay,” Emma said softly. Her eyes wandered over Regina’s features, down her neck to the patch of skin showing under the robe. Her body warmed and her heartbeat quickened and she slapped herself when she realized what she was doing. She was acting like a teenage boy! “Well, we found the hideout. And I told you what we think about Robin being married.” Regina nodded her head as Emma spoke. “What I didn’t get a chance to tell you, though, is that we are pretty sure that… Oh, God. I can’t even say it.”

“It’s Robin _Hood_ and _Little John_ ,” Ruby practically shouted. “And his wife was Maid Marion and what the hell is happening here, Regina, because this is some fucked up shit.”

Regina felt her heart plummet. The room started to sway. It was happening. Her hands gripped Emma’s arm, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath. And another one. And another one. They had pieced it together. It was only a matter of time. Regina knew that from the beginning. “What else did you figure out?”

“Well, we think that Storybrooke-” August started, but was cut off by Emma.

“Wait, what? _Figure_ out? Like you knew this already? And you didn’t tell me?”

Regina’s chest rose and fell with each breath she took. She opened her eyes and looked at Emma. She was begging and pleading with just one look. “Please let me explain before you-”

“Before I _what_ , Regina?”

“Before you start acting like a crazy woman, Emma.”

“Regina. What the fuck?”

Regina took a very deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I’m not who you think I am.”

“I am starting to sense that.” Emma pulled away from Regina’s grasp and took a step back. “What the fuck is going on here?” She looked at August and then at Ruby and then back at Regina.

“Em, that’s kind of why we’re here so early. And without calling or texting. We were really hoping you hadn’t… Man. We were hoping that you hadn’t -” August gestured between Emma and Regina with a defeated wave of his hand.

“Yeah, Emma, Storybrooke doesn’t exist on any map that we’ve looked at. Google Maps, MapQuest, an Atlas, a map of Maine… There is no documentation of it. No records. No phone book. _Emma…Nothing_.” Ruby eyes moved over to look at Regina who was still looking directly at Emma, her hand clutching her chest, her eyes filled with tears. “And then we found this.” Ruby turned in her seat and took her backpack from her back. She pulled out a large, leather-bound book. It was clearly a very old book with markings along the cover. She smoothed her hand over the cover and then set it down gently on the countertop.

Emma leaned in a little bit and looked at the book. “ _Once Upon a Time_ ,” she read out loud. She looked up at Ruby and August. “Where did you find this?”

“In Robin Hood and Little John’s office. In a lockbox that I hadn’t found the last time I went through their stash. And this was tucked in between the last pages,” August started as he pulled a picture from his shirt pocket. He unfolded it and slid it across the counter to Emma.

She picked up the picture. Her eyes went wide, but as she turned the picture over and saw the handwriting on the back, her heart felt like it was going to explode. “What the _fuck_ , you guys. This isn’t funny.”

“Emma, this is serious. We’re not fucking around with you,” August said so softly and tenderly.

“This can’t be,” she said, clutching the picture. “How is this possible?” She looked at Regina, her face red with anger. “Why does Robin _Hood_ and his merry _fucking asshole_ have a picture of Mary Margaret and David and _me_ when I was a _baby_?” Her eyes were filled with tears and her voiced cracked on the word ‘baby’ and her hands were shaking.

Regina couldn’t move. She felt like if she took one step she would collapse. She took a deep breath and glanced at August and then at Ruby before looking back at Emma. “You’re their child, Emma. You’re their child. You’re the, the…”

“The _WHAT_?” Emma shouted, taking one huge step forward. Her blonde hair was hanging around her face, her eyes were red-rimmed with tears and her breathing was so erratic she felt as if she was going to have a heart attack.

“You’re the only person that can save me. You’re the savior. I’m the… Oh, God.” Regina looked down at the floor. She felt like she was going to be sick. She was going to lose it all over the floor. “I’m the-” She couldn’t say it. She _wasn’t_ that person any longer. And saying it? Admitting it? It was too much.

“She’s the Evil Queen, Emma.” Ruby said those words so quietly.

Emma’s mouth was hanging open. She looked back and forth between the people in her kitchen like she was in a nightmare and all she was waiting for was someone to pinch her and wake her up. A hysterical laugh came up from her throat and out her mouth and she pushed herself away from the counter and started walking away from them. “You all are fucked. I can’t even believe this. What the hell is going on right now?” She screamed it almost at the top of her lungs and then whirled around to face them all once more. “You’re joking, right? I mean, this is all just a funny joke and ha ha we fooled Emma and this is just a funny, funny, funny joke.” Emma locked her eyes onto August’s. He looked like he was in serious pain.

“Would it make you feel any better if I told you that we are all a part of this story?”

Emma let out another maniacal laugh. “No! It wouldn’t make me fucking feel better, August!”

Ruby stood up and took a couple steps towards Emma. She raised her hands up signaling that she wasn’t going to hurt her. “Emma, please. Calm down. Let us explain. Let us tell you what happened.”

Emma looked past Ruby to Regina. “You knew about this the whole time?”

Regina hadn’t been able to take her eyes off of Emma. She had broken this woman and she honestly never meant to. “No, not the whole time.”

“Stop LYING to me, Regina!”

“Emma, stop, I didn’t know the whole time! I thought you were the wrong person. I didn’t think the white knight would be a woman! How could I have thought that?” Regina shouted. She started to make her way towards Emma, but when the blonde turned and put her hand up telling Regina to stay where she was, her entire body went cold. “Emma, please. Don’t…”

“Don’t _what_?”

“Don’t push me away! Please! Emma,” Regina paused and took the remaining steps towards Emma. She grabbed onto her shoulders and spun her around. “I love you, Emma. I am _in_ love with you. You cannot give up on this. Please.”

Emma’s eyes were filled with tears, some making the brave journey down her cheeks, forming droplets of water on her white tank top. “Regina, I can’t believe this… I can’t.”

“Emma,” Regina started. She put her hand on Emma’s cheek and brushed away tears with the soft pad of her thumb. “You love me, don’t you?”

The blonde’s heart jumped into her throat. She did. Regina was right. She nodded her head, more and more tears flowing. “I love you, yes. I do.”

“Kiss me,” Regina said, her voice smooth and deep. “Kiss me.”

Emma leaned forward and placed her lips on Regina’s. And just like she had seen a hundred times on movies, on cartoons, on television shows, something happened. Something. A spark. All of the lights in the apartment dimmed, a light bulb over the kitchen sink popped, and the glass in the mirror by the door shattered. Emma pulled away, her eyes wide. “Regina.”

“Emma?”

“Oh, my God. You’re telling the truth.”

 


	12. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay.
> 
> First of all - thank you all so much for continuing to stick with me through this journey. Your support means the world to me!
> 
> Second - As some of you already guessed, yes, the curse is real. But it's not Adam and Eddy's curse. It's a different curse, so technically it is still an alternate universe. I hope no one is angry at me for pulling the wool slightly over your eyes with the "completely AU" blurb in the very beginning. In my mind, it is still very much AU. And I hope you all will continue to believe that and keep reading!
> 
> Third - This chapter is important... And yes, I'm scared as hell to post it.
> 
> Finally - You have all trusted me thus far! I promise I will not let you down. :)

Chapter 11

“Mary Margaret is Snow White?”

Regina nodded and looked back and forth between Ruby, August, and Emma, who were all now sitting on the leather couch trying to wrap their heads around everything she had just told them.

“And David is Prince Charming,” August finished. “And Belle is…?”

“Beauty and the Beast, you ass,” Ruby mumbled under her breath.

August leaned back and rested his head on the back of the couch and stretched his arms into the air. “This has been the weirdest fucking 24 hours in the history of the world,” he said through a yawn.

Ruby glared at him. “Are you kidding me? Ever since I started working for this two-man operation my whole world has been turned upside down. And now I wake up from a 28-year dream and find out that I’m Little Red Riding Hood. I’m about one thousand percent sure I didn’t sign up for this.”

“You mean you aren’t happy to find out who you really are?” August asked, smiling at her.

“Well, according to the Evil Queen who is sitting on the couch across from us, I am also a fucking _werewolf_ , August.”

“Well, I’m a _wooden boy_.” August let out a laugh. “I think I win.”

“If you two don’t keep your shit together I’m going to lose it,” Emma commented as she rubbed her temples. “I don’t even understand what the hell is going on. What happened in there with that kiss? Why do I have to replace a $300 mirror now? Why do I believe everything you’re saying even though it’s quite possibly the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard? What is really going on here, Regina?”

“Are you really prepared to hear this?” Regina asked, her voice deep and smooth. Both August and Ruby looked at Regina and then nodded their heads in unison. She looked at Emma who had not taken her eyes off of the scratch on the top of the coffee table for the last 20 minutes. “Are you ready to listen to me and _believe_ me?”

Emma blinked her eyes and then glanced up at Regina. Her mind was swirling. She wasn’t even sure how to take this. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice catching in her throat.

“You’re sure?” Regina asked, and took a deep breath when Emma nodded her head. “Okay, well, then, I guess I should start at the beginning.”

“Probably a good idea,” August said with a huff.

“Thank you, Mr. Booth,” Regina said with a roll of her eyes. “So, Storybrooke,” she started, reaching over and squeezing Emma’s hand that was closest to her, “It’s not real. Well, it’s _real,_ but it’s not on any maps. It was created… because of a curse. Unfortunately, you all will have no memory of this curse. And when I crossed the town line to escape, I knew there was a possibility that I would lose my memories.”

“Well, you clearly didn’t lose your memories, though.”

“You’re right,” Regina confirmed Ruby’s statement. “I didn’t lose my memories of the last year of my life. But everything before that was gone. I wish I could explain it to you so that you could understand… The only thing I knew after I drove across that town line was that I was afraid of Robin, afraid that I was going to be killed, and I needed to get here, to Chicago. So when I met you, Emma, I had no idea who you were. I immediately felt whatever it was between us, though. The minute I spun around and looked at you in your office... I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk, I could barely move. I had never in my life felt something so strong. And I didn’t know what was happening or _why_ it was happening. I was pretty sure I was insane.”

“Join the club,” August muttered.

Regina took a deep breath and looked over at August. “You are all a part in this story. Like it or not. You may finally be awake, but when we step foot back into Storybrooke, everything will no longer be a dream you’re waking up from. It will be your lives that you have led.” Regina took a very deep breath. “Now, looking back, when I left the town limit it clearly wasn’t just to escape Robin.” She looked at Emma. The blonde’s lips were formed into a frown and it made Regina’s heart ache to know this was all her doing. She put two fingers underneath Emma’s chin and tilted her face so they were looking at each other. “It was to find you, the savior. Something bigger than my fear of Robin made me cross that line and it was because I had to find the savior, the only person that could help me destroy the person that cast the curse. So for the past year and a half, I’ve been living here, not knowing that you were in the same town.”

Emma looked at Regina. “How is this possible?”

“You’re here, Emma, because I saved _you_.”

Emma blinked twice and then shook her head. “What do you mean?”

“You, Snow White, Prince Charming, Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, and Belle. I saved you all from the first curse.”

“I am so confused,” August said as he put his head in his hands.

“I know, and I’m so sorry,” Regina apologized. “I never meant for this to get so out of hand. I just… I don’t know what to do now. I never thought I would find the savior. And even though I was most certainly the Evil Queen, the curse was not enacted by me as the book suggests. I was merely a pawn. Rumplestiltskin cast the curse. The book is _wrong_. That is why…” Regina paused. She closed her eyes and then said softly, “Your mother and I have had a _very_ tumultuous relationship. After her father, my husband - the King - passed away, she left and I never heard from her. Because of this, I only knew that your mother was with child, which I found out purely by happenstance. I had no knowledge of the gender of the baby. I knew that Rumplestiltskin wanted me to cast a curse… a curse that would end all curses. For some reason I got tangled into his web of insanity, deceit, and lies. When I told him no, that I didn’t want to be that kind of sorceress, he threatened me. Threatened that he would kill the only man I ever loved.”

“The King? But he was already dead,” Emma said quietly.

Regina moved her head from one side to the next. “No, Emma. My marriage to Leopold was arranged. I never wanted to marry him. I had another… another love. I went back and forth with Rumplestiltskin for many months. Until finally I refused completely and he did what he was best at - he killed whatever made me happy. And that happened to be Daniel.” Regina took a very deep breath, held back tears, and said, “But when it came right down to it, when I knew that was his last piece of the curse he needed, I decided to find a way to save the people that had meant the most to me. Even though your mother and I had a rocky relationship, I loved her and I would never have let Rumplestiltskin harm her, or your father. ”

“Or us?” Ruby asked, her voice cracking.

“Correct,” Regina responded, a small smile displayed. “I made sure when the curse hit that you all would be transported outside of Storybrooke. I made a deal with a very close friend at the time for a protection spell. It nearly cost me my life. But I saved your mother and father, Emma, and you, obviously. Pinocchio was saved to make sure you would grew up with someone. And Red, you were saved because Snow White loved, you, too. I had so little time to come up with something and it was the only thing I could think to do.”

“So,” Emma started, “You and my grandpa were married… And you were my mom’s step-mom, and you didn’t get along - for whatever reason - but you still saved her?”

“Yes.”

“So, does she remember you?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Regina responded. “I was hoping...” Her voice trailed off.

“You were hoping what?” Emma asked, holding onto Regina’s hand even tighter.

“That maybe our kiss would break, um, break the curse.”

“You mean,” Emma started. She paused and then tilted her head, her eyes shining, “Like ‘True Love’s Kiss?’”

Regina couldn’t respond. She pulled her eyes from Emma’s, not knowing what to say or how to continue on with the story. Everything was so messed up now.

“But the kiss clearly did something,” August said while motioning towards the mirror and then the light bulb above the sink. “As good of a kisser as I proclaim to be I have never shattered glass.”

Emma let out a chuckle, unable to help herself. She laced her fingers into Regina’s and looked into those eyes that had captured her heart. “It had to have meant something, right? I mean, come on. I _believe_ you. And 25 seconds before that I was ready to have all three of you committed.”

Regina turned her head to look at Emma. “It did mean something, didn’t it?” She felt her heart warm when Emma's lips turned up into a small smile.

“So,” Ruby interrupted the moment. “When did you start remembering everything then, Regina? You didn’t remember when you were introduced you to Emma’s parents the first time, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.” Regina closed her eyes. “My memories have been seeping in through the cracks for the past couple of days. The first flashes started happening when I was sitting on Snow’s couch and she was showing me pictures of when you came into their life as a teenager. And they never changed in any of the pictures. Their hair, their faces, nothing... Only you changed, Emma.”

“That’s why they don’t _age_ ,” Emma whispered to no one but herself. “But why have we aged?” She motioned to August and herself.

Ruby cleared her throat and raised a hand into the air. “Um, I haven’t really. I mean, I always say I get another year older, but I have never felt like I actually _get_ a year older…”

“I've been thinking about that... And it seems that anyone that was under a certain age was unaffected by the anti-age curse.” Regina shrugged her shoulders. “I honestly have no idea why or how, but Emma and August were the only other two that were young, so I don’t know how to explain it.”

Emma pursed her lips together and looked at Regina. “I don’t understand," she said as she picked up the picture of her as an infant and her parents. She looked at it, running a finger along the edge. "How did I get separated from my parents if you saved us?”

"Unfortunately the protection spell wasn't perfect. I have a feeling that it saved you, but separated you... And I am _so_ sorry about that." Regina took a breath, motioning to the photograph. "I have a feeling this was something that made its way into this world after the curse was cast. Their clothing is indicative of the Enchanted Forest."

August let out a huff.

"I know, I know." Regina sighed, "it's all so far fetched. And I'm _sorry_. I really am."

"My life was getting boring, so it's nice to have a little drama," August said after a moment of silence.

“How am I going to tell Henry all of this?” Emma asked softly, looking into Regina’s eyes. “He will never believe it.”

“I don’t understand even why _I_ believe all of this other than this weird pull inside of my heart _making_ me believe,” August commented. “Of course, it was easier to believe when I saw that fucking mirror shatter and that light bulb explode. So, if Henry has a hard time, just make out in front of him, shatter some more glass and voilà.”

“Word,” Ruby said with a smile.

"We have to get Snow and Charming to believe. And Belle."

Emma let out a laugh. "What? Why? That's going to be impossible."

"Because to go back to Storybrooke we all have to return _together_ ," Regina responded. "We have to tell them."

"But Henry... What about Henry?"

"Emma, you're a princess... He's your son. You have to return together."

"Regina, why can't we just stay here? Why can't we just live here together and be happy here? This doesn't make any sense. I don't want to go back. I want to be here... With you." Emma grabbed both of Regina's hands and held them to her heart. "Please."

Regina's eyes were filled with tears. "If we don't return," she paused, gathering all of her strength, "I will die."

Emma's lips parted. She wanted to say something but she couldn't find her words. She wanted to scream, throw something, hit something. She sat there, staring at Regina, wondering what the hell she did to deserve this.

"Regina, what do you mean?" August asked with a stern voice.

Regina continued to look into Emma's eyes as she spoke, her voice soft, "If you cross the town line and _forget_ , once you _remember_..."

"No," Emma whispered, her own tears welling in her eyes. "That can't be."

"It's true. It was the fail safe built into the curse," the brunette quietly confirmed.

Ruby reached over and laced her fingers into August's that was resting on the couch. He looked over at her and she said with as much courage as she could find, "Then we better get going."

 


	13. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I hope you all continue to enjoy this journey I'm taking you on. And thank you to EVERYONE that has reviewed and left kudos on this story of mine. You all are wonderful. :)

**Chapter 12**

Telling the rest of them ended up being quite the experience.

Belle was shocked, but seemed to believe without even questioning much, saying that she had been seeing vivid flashes in her dreams for the past couple of years.

Henry seemed unfazed, excited even. What 16 year old that is obsessed with heroes and video games wouldn't be?

And David and Mary Margaret. Well, that turned out to be far more excruciating.

Honestly, Emma was feeling pretty good about herself as August, Ruby, Regina and herself made their way over to Mary Margaret and David's State Street apartment. Yeah, it was all far-fetched and shit, she knew a breakdown was going to happen sooner or later, but right then and there? She was  _handling_ it. She had obviously seen worse in her lifetime. Mangled body parts, beaten faces, dead bodies thrown into dumpsters. And heard worse. Crying and fighting and please, don't. So this? This was something she could actually handle.

At least she thought she could.

Standing in David and Mary Margaret's living room and knowing once and for all that these two people were here parents was the straw that broke the camel's back. Emma's whole life she had wondered why she was given up and now… Now this?

Their faces as she told them, slowly and deliberately that they are her parents…

When they looked at each other, sad smiles and then looked back at Emma…

They knew. They knew this whole time.

It was all happening so fast and she literally could not stop this horrible ride she was now safety-belted into. Her first instinct was to run. Just like she had been doing most of her life. And she did just that, right out of the apartment, down the 10 flights of stairs, and pushed herself through the revolving doors out into the snowy Chicago wonderland, where she was currently standing, breathing the cold air into her lungs and cursing herself for not grabbing her coat. She took three deep breaths before she bent over and grabbed onto her knees to steady herself. "Oh, my God," she breathed. "Holy shit. They knew… They  _knew…_ Oh, fuck, fuck,  _fuck_."

"Emma, wait!"

She stood upright at the sound of Mary Margaret's voice and whirled around to come face to face with her  _mom…_ Holy shit, her  _mom_. "Mary Margaret, I can't talk about this right now. I need some time."

"But wait, Emma, let me explain."

"Explain?" Emma shouted at the shorter woman. "Explain? Explain how you have known for this whole time that you are my goddamn parents and you two never  _fucking_ told me? Explain that I have  _willingly_ discussed countless inappropriate things with you thinking that I was talking to my  _best friend_? Explain that I could have had a  _family_? Explain that Henry could have had grandparents and he doesn't! Explain that you could have told me and you didn't… You never told me, Mary Margaret. How am I supposed to handle this?" Emma felt herself breaking down. Every second that passed was another that she could no longer hold it together.

Mary Margaret put her hands on Emma's shoulders. "Emma, would you have believed me?"

Emma let out a laugh, "That isn't the point!"

"No, Emma, would you have  _believed_ me?!" Mary Margaret practically yelled the words, choking back a sob as tears streamed down her white skin. She watched as Emma's anger slowly started to dissipate. "Would you have believed me if I said to you that David and I are your parents? Us? Two people that at the time we met were the exact same age? Would that have been something you would have  _believed?_ " Mary Margaret paused and looked into her daughter's eyes that were identical to her own. "Do you think I didn't want to tell you? I knew the minute you wandered into our high school and sat down at the table across from ours at lunch. I told David then that I knew you. I told him then that I was connected to you. And he felt the  _same_ thing. You can't blame me for not telling you that we are your  _parents_ , Emma. You can't. It's not fair. We did not do this to you. And if I knew you would have believed me when we finally truly remembered who we are and who you are to us, I would have told you. Please  _believe_ me."

"I don't understand how you knew, though. How did you know? And why hasn't anyone else remembered like you two have? I don't get this at all."

The snow was falling at a much quicker rate now and their hair was covered with the white flakes. "We knew because you're ours, Emma. You're ours. Everything about you. Your hair, your eyes, that cleft in your chin. You have to see it." Mary Margaret took a deep breath and said softly, "I don't know how we remembered when we clearly weren't supposed to. Unless…  _Regina_. She knew that this family  _always_ finds each other. Maybe she built it into the protection spell that we would find each other. She had to have. That is the  _only_ explanation."

Emma stood in the snow shivering. She looked to her left, up State Street, watching the snow fall. She took a deep breath and let it out, her breath forming a cloud of condensation. "What do we do?"

"We go back, Emma. We go back."

"What about everyone else? What about Belle? And August and Ruby?"

For some insane reason that made Mary Margaret chuckle and in turn, it made Emma let out a laugh, as well. "We take care them. Just like we've been doing since we got here."

"And Henry?" Emma bit her bottom lip and then licked her lips.

"Well, when you barged out of the room and sprinted downstairs, he was asking David for fencing lessons. So, I feel that he might be taking this the best out of all of us." Mary Margaret moved her hand down Emma's arm and took the younger woman's hand in her own. "Come inside. We have to plan."

* * *

"So, you're saying that going back isn't going to be easy?" David asked, breaking a small silence that had fallen upon the group. They were all still sitting in the apartment living room, cartons of delivery food in front of them and most indulging in an alcoholic beverage, sans Henry, of course. He was loving the Mountain Dew, though, and Emma thought he secretly realized he wouldn't be getting it for much longer depending on where this journey took them.

"Of course it won't be easy. Why would it be  _easy?"_ August asked with a sarcastic tone. He accepted the glare that came from David and then smiled. " _Sorry_ , I diffuse tension with sarcasm. You know this."

David shook his head and then smiled, "I guess you're allowed to be a little sarcastic after finding out that we're all storybook characters."

"Thank you," August replied with a laugh.

Regina sighed as she leaned forward and propped her elbows on her knees. Her head was killing her and there was a slight pain in her lower back that would just not let up. Her mind knew what it meant. Ever since she started talking about the curse, and someone else from the group believed, this pain would grow. It was happening. Slowly, but surely. She glanced over at Emma who was standing up, her arms crossed over her chest, dark blue jeans, black Dr. Martens, white sweater. Her hair was pulled into that messy ponytail Regina was starting to love and it made her chest ache. When their eyes met across the room, the corner of Emma's mouth turned up into a small smile. Her eyes were shining and for the briefest of moments Regina forgot the hell she was living. And like a flash of lightning, crackling and fading into the dark, her moment of peace also faded.

"So, we can't just get into a couple of cars and cruise over the town line?" Ruby asked through a mouthful of pizza.

Regina bent her head down and sighed. "Honestly, we  _can_ do that. Yes. But you have to remember that the minute we do that, we have to be prepared for their attack. They will be waiting for us. I know all of them."

"Anyone here know how to teleport?" Henry asked with a laugh.

Regina glanced up at the young boy, a smile playing on her lips. "Actually, yes."

Henry blinked twice and then with a look of pure astonishment plastered to his face said, " _Really_?"

"Yes, really."

"This seriously gets cooler and cooler. I mean, really? This is so freaking sweet." Henry took a big gulp of his Mountain Dew and then laughed. "Seriously!"

Emma let out a laugh and then walked over to where Regina was sitting. She sat down on the arm of the couch next to the brunette, placing a gentle hand on Regina's back. She watched as the brunette's head turned slightly and she leaned into Emma's touch. "So, we teleport in?"

"Unfortunately, no." Regina took a deep breath and then glanced at everyone in the room. Belle was still trying her hardest to go with the flow, even though clearly she wanted to bolt. Mary Margaret and David were the calmest, obviously. Turns out knowing about the curse for more than half a day makes it easier to talk about. August and Ruby were definitely skeptical, but with each passing moment it was getting easier and easier to see their wheels spinning in the appropriate direction. And Henry. Wonderful, lovely Henry. He believed without needing any explanation. In fact, his first words were, 'Sweet. What do you need me to do?'

"So, you can actually move yourself from one spot to the next, but you can't do it with all of us?"

"I could," Regina started, looking at the floor, "If I was  _healthy_. But with each passing moment I feel myself growing weaker and weaker. I can get myself in, but getting everyone in would take too much strength. And I don't have that."

"What about Emma?" David asked, reaching forward to place his hand on Regina's knee. She looked up at him, a quizzical look displayed on her face. "She's the product of True Love, isn't she?"

"Yes," Regina whispered. "She is."

Emma looked at David and then Mary Margaret. She quirked an eyebrow and laughed. "Wait. You're saying that I have magic inside of me?"

"Yes," Regina answered, not even waiting a beat. "You have magic inside of you, Emma. You are," Regina was staring up into Emma's face. She smiled, "You are the savior. You can get us in."

"Surely, you're joking. I mean, if I knew I could have teleported everywhere this whole time I would have used it to my advantage. Come on. Chicago traffic would have never been a problem." Emma continued to chuckle and then looked around at everyone in the room. "What?"

Belle picked up the Once Upon a Time book that was laying open on the table. She frantically flipped to a page towards the middle. "While you all have been conversing amongst yourselves, I decided to give this book a little read through. While written many years ago, the story is remarkably similar to stories we've heard since we were small children. Or at least what we thought we heard when we were small children. Or wait," Belle paused and looked up at the ceiling. "You know what? Never mind. It's a book with stories and I read them. Got it?" Everyone nodded their head and Belle continued, "Emma, it says here that the child of Snow White and Prince Charming will be like no other. 'Both sides light, creates a light so bright.' I think that's pretty self-explanatory."

"You read that whole book already?" Ruby asked Belle, her eyes roaming over her features.

A deep blush filled Belle's cheeks. "Well, I really love books. It's easy to let yourself be pulled into one… and obviously, we are all a part of  _this_ one," Belle finished with a smile. She looked down at the book and then back up at Ruby, "Your story is quite fascinating."

"I'll have to give it a proper read through," Ruby said with a grin she saved for special occasions. She felt August elbow her in the side and she whipped her head to glare at him.

Emma looked down and into Regina's eyes. "Is this for real?"

"I know it doesn't seem real, but it is. It's very real." Regina picked up one of Emma's hands and held it close to her chest. "Do you feel that?"

Emma did feel it. She wasn't sure what it was, but she could  _feel_ it. There was a strange electric sensation pulsing through her veins. She remembered feeling something similar to it when she had kissed Regina's cheek that night at her condo. She nodded her head, tears springing to her eyes. "This is all so crazy, Regina," Emma whispered.

"I know, but please."

Regina's words were barely spoken, but Emma knew that regardless of what was happening, this was what her life had led up to. "I know," Emma breathed and placed her other hand on Regina's cheek. "Are you going to teach me?"

Regina smiled. "I would love to."

* * *

Their plan was to leave the day after tomorrow. It was a short flight from Chicago's O'Hare Airport to Boston's Logan International and then they would drive from there.

All of them. Together. In a  _van_.

Truth be told? Emma was already dreading it. She knew the drive would be about 5 hours, but she could already sense that all of them crammed into a van was going to push her right over the edge.

She glanced up into the rearview mirror of her beetle at Henry as she drove herself, Regina and him to a remote location to "practice." He was looking out the window, a strange smile on his face. He was really enjoying the rollercoaster of the past few hours way more than she was. It definitely made her happy that he didn't freak out - because honestly, he should have. Everyone should have freaked out.

And maybe that's what was so disconcerting about the whole thing.

As crazy and convoluted as it  _all_ was… It was so  _easy_ to believe.

There wasn't a single cell in her body that didn't trust every word that Regina said. Even the part about magic and how Emma had it coursing through her veins. And who in their right mind wouldn't lose it if they found out they could perform magic. Actual magic.

Emma pulled a deep breath into her lungs before looking over at Regina. She placed a hand on her leg and squeezed it. Regina looked up at her and smiled. "You okay?" Emma asked, returning the smile.

"Yeah," Regina answered, her voice betraying her. "I'm good."

"You're lying," Emma responded. "What's wrong? Are you in pain?"

Regina sighed, tears welling in her dark eyes. "A little, yeah. It's nothing I can't handle."

Emma pulled her eyes back to the road, a strange fear washing over her. Less than 24 hours ago she was so happy about what the future held for them. And now… Now she was preparing herself to fight off villains and craziness and possibly lose the first person besides her son that she had opened herself up to love. It wasn't fair and it was literally the only thing about this whole shit-show she was pissed off about.

"Where are we going for this?"

"An abandoned building." Emma glanced at Regina and smiled at the woman's slack-jawed expression. "Don't worry. I already cleared that we could use it. We won't get in trouble."

"With who?" Henry asked, leaning forward from the backseat.

Emma directed her attention back to Stoney Island Drive and continued heading south. "An old friend."

"An old  _cop_ friend?" Regina asked, her eyebrow almost hitting the roof of the car.

Emma started to laugh. She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as they zipped around a couple of cars. "Hardly," she said, sarcasm dripping from her words.

Regina wrapped her hand around the door handle of the car and groaned. "Miss Swan, I do request that you get another car one day. Preferably one that can handle the treacherous road conditions."

"What? What's wrong with the bug?"

"Yeah, Regina, what's wrong with the bug?" Henry echoed.

Regina let out a small laugh as she glanced back at Henry and then over at his mother. "Well, if there was ever a doubt in my mind about you two being related, your love for this death trap of a vehicle definitely nixes it."

Emma maneuvered her hand to the back seat and let Henry give her a low 'five.' "Thanks for the back-up, kid."

"No problem, ma," Henry commented and then put his hand on Regina's shoulder. "If you guys get a new car, though, ya know,  _together_ or whatever, I'll totally take this one off your hands."

Regina felt her entire body warm. She looked over her shoulder at Henry and smiled, "Deal, my dear. Deal." Her eyes caught Emma's surprised and pleased expression. "I do require that we get a full tune-up for it, though."

"Awesome!" Henry's fists shot into the air and he let out a 'whoop!'

Emma's heart was beating way faster than it had any right to. This was so crazy. How could this feel so perfect but be so close to being taken away? It just wasn't  _fair_.

* * *

"So, the door on the left should be unlocked."

Regina climbed out of the passenger side of the yellow death trap and looked up at the giant pink building. The words "Moo & Oink" were painted on the side in giant letters. "This is your abandoned building?"

"Sure is!" Emma threw the keys of the car at Henry. "Lock it up, kid." She rushed over to Regina and ushered her over to the door. She knocked on it three times and waited.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously," Emma replied as she put her hand on Regina's back. The door cracked slightly.

"Password?" Came the voice from behind the door.

"Oh, my God. Really?"

"Yes, password?"

"Second Star to the Left," Emma said, complete with eye roll.

The door swung the rest of the way open and revealed a man with a hook for a hand. "And Straight on Till Morning," he said, his accent very thick. He was dressed in all black, except for the red sash that was tied around his waist.

"Killian," Emma said with a laugh as she threw her arms around the man.

He lifted her off the ground a little and then set her down gently. "Hello there, love. How are you?"

"Good, I'm good. I think. I mean, yeah, I'm good!" Emma laughed as she patted him on the arm. "God, it's good to see you. How have you been?"

"Oh, sadly, swashbuckling and pillaging have gotten me nowhere." Killian motioned his hook towards Regina and raised an eyebrow in her direction, a sly smile covering his lips. "And why have you brought this little dime to me?"

Emma titled her head and glared at him while slipping her fingers in between Regina's. "This is Regina."

"Oh, I know  _who_ she is," Killian said, his eyes showing disdain mixed with just a dash of fondness.

"Wait, what?" Emma looked between Killian and Regina.

Killian's eyes saw the hand holding and then a smile spread across his face. "Well, well, well. The Evil Queen finally found the White Knight."

"Hook." Regina said, a smug smile on her face. "I see you escaped the curse."

"But of course, your majesty. Nets are for fish and mermaids. I am a pirate. And the best one at that."

"Are you  _fucking_ kidding me?" Emma said as she hung her head. "I cannot believe this. You know him, too? I seriously did not think this could get any more fucked up."

Regina looked over at Emma and smiled. "Emma, honey, stop. It's okay," she said softly, leaning in to place a kiss on Emma's cheek. "We go way back. It's nothing to worry about."

"Swan! I always pegged you for a connoisseur of the ladies. Never knew for sure, though."

Killian's face changed slightly when he motioned for Regina and Emma to come inside, followed closely by Henry. "Is this?"

"Yes, Killian, that's Henry."

"Hello, mate, pleasure to meet you," Killian said as he shoved his hook towards Henry. The young boy's eyes went wide and he started to chuckle.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, mate.  _Seriously_. No sign of trust better than letting you touch the ol' hook. Give it a good shake."

Henry smiled and wrapped his teenage fingers around the hook. He shook it lightly and laughed. "This is so freaking weird, ma."

"The  _curse_ and  _magic_  and all of that doesn't bother you, but shaking a man's hook does?" Emma asked.

Henry shrugged his shoulders and went over to stand by where Regina was resting against an old, dusty work desk. He lifted his eyes and met Regina's. "Are you okay?" he whispered at her.

"Oh, honey, yeah, I'm fine," Regina responded, holding her hand out to him. She felt her heart smile when he took her hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for asking, though."

"You're welcome," he said as he leaned against the desk with her. The two watched Emma and Killian going back and forth. Emma was telling him the story, he was agreeing, nodding his head, explaining how he didn't know at first but his memories had come back little by little. Just like everyone else. "How do you know him?" Henry asked when he looked to his left at Regina.

"How don't I know him?" Regina asked with a laugh. She looked at Henry and smiled. "As the queen I knew many people. Let's just say that Captain Hook is known at many different ports."

"Sounds like a creep," Henry commented.

Regina felt herself smiling widely at Henry. "You're right. He is."

"Did my mom and him, ya know?"

"I have no idea, honey. But my instincts tell me he tried and never got anywhere." Regina put her arm around Henry's shoulders and squeezed. "You have nothing to worry about. He's not you father if that's what you're worried about."

"How did you-"

"How did I know that you've never met him?" Henry nodded his head and Regina took a very deep breath. "Because I know who he is. And aside from your mom, he's the most important part of the puzzle."

"Are you going to tell her that?" Henry asked. They were both looking at Emma now as she explained how Regina was going to try and teach her now.

"She already knows," Regina whispered, almost inaudibly.

"How do you know?"

Regina looked at Henry. The young boy's features were so much his mothers. She watched as he continued to eavesdrop of the conversation happening before them. "Just a feeling I have."

"A magic feeling?"

A laugh bubbled up from Regina's throat and she leaned into Henry's side. "Exactly, my dear. Exactly."

* * *

"Emma, wait," Regina panted as she put her hand out to stop the blonde from trying to conjure another fireball in her hands. Regina had conjured at least fifteen different forms of fire in an effort to teach by showing and, truth be told, she was starting to feel the effects of using magic after not for so many years. It just wasn't working the way it was supposed to and Regina could feel Emma's frustration growing and growing. Every time Emma tried, she'd get a few sparks to fly up out of her fingertips and that was it.

"I have to be able to do this." Emma raked her fingers through her hair and then popped her knuckles. "This is something I can  _do._ I know it."

"Less than 24 hours ago you were a normal working mother that has money and a car and a job," Regina said in a voice she barely recognized as her own. "You have to stop trying so hard." She put a hand up and grabbed onto Emma's wrist. "You have to stop. You have to  _listen_  to me."

They were standing in the middle of the very empty building. Their surroundings were dirty and dark and clearly not the best environment, but it was  _safe_ for now. Killian and Henry were both perched on the steps that were leading up to the second floor, still within earshot.

"I  _am_ listening!"

Regina placed both of her hands on her hips after dropping Emma's wrist. If looks could kill... "Are you  _now_?"

Emma sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes. I am."

"Then tell me, what did I just say to you?"

"You told me that I have to focus… to feel it."

"No," Regina said, breathing out as she took a couple steps towards Emma. She placed her hand over Emma's heart and drummed her fingertips lightly over the beating organ. "Do you feel this?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Duh. Of course."

Regina stopped drumming her fingertips and then looked directly into Emma's eyes. "Do you feel this?" Her voice was deep, soft, smooth like silk. And the flustered expression that Emma returned was enough of an indication that she most certainly felt it.

"Yes, Regina. You're still thumping your fingers on my chest."

Regina smiled. "No, I'm not, dear."

"You're not?"

"No," Regina pulled her hand away, yet continued to think about the motion of drumming her fingers lightly over Emma's beating heart. "Can you still feel it?"

Emma's eyes were wide. Her mouth hanging open slightly. "That is amazing."

"Yes, dear, but you have to focus." Regina started as she stretched out her arm and opened her hand, palm up. A small ball of fire formed and hovered over the center of her palm. "But you also have to be able to feel what is around you. Feel me. Feel you. Feel everyone. Feel the  _air._  And once you're able to feel those things-" Regina closed her eyes and like that she was magically transported to the other side of the building, surrounded by a cloud of purple smoke, "You'll be able to do  _that_." Regina heard Henry say 'whoa' from his seated position and then laugh.

"You should see when she plucks the heart out of some poor bloke's chest. Now that's a sight," Killian said while he shined his hook with a handkerchief.

Henry looked at Killian and then back at Regina. "She can do that?" the young boy hissed.

"Oh, dear boy, she can do many a thing, that one. She's quite clever, quite dangerous, and definitely not your average villain."

"Killian, stop filling Henry's head with lies," Emma hissed, turning around and pointing a finger at the two of them.

"They're not lies, Emma," Regina said, after transporting herself back, now standing right beside Emma. "I haven't been that person in a very long time, but The Evil Queen?" She took a couple of deep breaths so she could find her bearings. "Hook is telling the truth."

Emma could smell Regina's magic in the air. The purple smoke smelled exactly like her skin and was just as intoxicating. She looked over at Regina, her eyes were sad and she could tell that this wasn't easy for the brunette to admit. "It's who you are now that counts, Regina," Emma whispered. "And the person you are now is amazing."

"And as good as dead if we can't get her back into town," Killian chimed in.

"I could really do without the comments from the peanut gallery," Regina said, raising her voice enough so Hook heard her.

"As you wish, my lady," Killian mumbled and went back to shining his hook.

"So," Emma started. She looked into Regina's dark eyes and found that spark she knew she needed to latch onto with her mind. " _Feel_  it?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes," Regina responded. "Feel it. In your heart."

When those words left Regina's mouth, Emma felt her heart swell in her chest. It was almost as if someone was holding it. She took a deep breath, outstretched her hand and closed her eyes. Within seconds she heard Regina gasp. She squinted, opened one eye, then another, and she saw that she was holding a ball of flame. "Holy shit!" Emma yelled. "I did it!"

"Yes, you did." Regina crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. "You had it in you all along, you know."

Emma closed her hand over the flame and extinguished the glowing ball. "I did?"

Regina nodded her head and then ducked her head slightly. "The product of true love… You are destined for this."

"Kind of crazy, isn't it?"

"Well, considering that your entire life you've thought one thing about yourself and now I've basically told you everything you know is a lie, yes, it is definitely crazy," Regina commented, nodding her head and smirking. "You realize this could be a suicide mission?"

Emma nodded her head and then looked over her shoulder back at Henry. He was sitting on the stairs, watching with wide eyes, his scruffy hair looking more and more unkempt. "I know."

"You don't have to do this. Everyone else will be fine."

"I know," Emma whispered.

"Henry, your mom and dad, August," Regina started, her eyes filling with tears. "They will all be fine if you want to stay."

"I'm not losing you."

"Emma-"

"No, Regina," Emma said, placing her hand on the brunette's cheek. "This is bigger than them. And Henry? He will be fine. I will not let anything happen to him."

"I never meant to fall for you, you know," Regina whispered, her eyes locked onto Emma's.

"How could you not, though?" Emma smiled her lopsided grin and then brought her forehead to Regina's. "I  _feel_ you. We'll be fine."

"I hope you're right."

"Me, too," Emma whispered. And she really hoped she was right. She could lose Regina forever. Or she could lose everyone forever. Either way, losing people was not a fate she was ready to commit to.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Regina was quite impressed. The more Emma understood that it was all about feelings, the more quickly she caught on to using magic. While they sat on the couch that night at the Swan condo, Henry curled into Regina’s side, Emma sitting with her feet propped on the coffee table, a candle flickered with a flame and then extinguished itself across the room. Regina smiled as they sat together. “You’re getting good,” she whispered, lightly running her hand over Emma’s thigh.

“I have a good teacher,” Emma replied, a lazy smile spreading across her lips. She leaned her head forward and took in the sight of Henry’s sleeping form next to the brunette. “He really likes you. You know that, right?”

“I really like him.” Regina moved her gaze to the news and the story of the kidnappings that was running with updates. “You realize that Rumplestiltskin has his hands all over this.”

Emma pulled a deep breath into her lungs and then leaned her head back on the couch. “I know.”

“So, what do we do?” Regina moved a tiny amount, adjusting herself to take pressure off of her backside. The ever growing pains were starting to become a bigger factor than she had anticipated. “Do we help Robin get his wife and son back?”

Emma’s eyes drifted to Regina’s profile. “That’s what a hero would do,” she commented softly.

“I’m not typically the hero,” Regina remarked, continuing to stare out at the blustery conditions. It wasn’t something she was proud of, but her past was still very real, regardless of the fact that it happened in a fairy tale story book. All of her sins, all of her shortcomings, everything, was judged and condemned. Would becoming a hero save her?

“Would you have _typically_ chosen a woman to fall in love with?”

Regina’s eyes traveled back to Emma’s beautiful face. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt her eyes fill with tears. She shook her head back and forth, too overcome with emotion to properly answer.

“Then now’s the time to start doing things you wouldn’t typically do.” Emma moved a lock of dark brown hair behind Regina’s ear and then brought her hand to rest on the brunette’s hand. “I don’t know your past, Regina. I know you. I know _this_ person. I realize we’ve only known each other a very short time, but,” Emma paused and lowered her voice, “I know what love is. I know you’re a good person. I know that together we can do this. And I know I am not losing you to this curse.”

“Emma,” Regina breathed.

“No, we are not going to let this beat us. Okay?”

“It’s not that easy, though.”

“You don’t understand then, Regina. Because this? Us and you and me and Henry? This _is_ that easy. We get you back there, we save you, we find Robin’s family, we reunite them, the end.”

Regina couldn’t help the smile that pulled at her lips. “You really are the white knight, aren’t you?”

Emma leaned forward, placing her lips directly on Regina’s. A breeze seemed to blow through the apartment, causing both sets of their eyes to open. “Was that what I think it was?”

“No,” Regina said after waiting a beat. She closed her eyes and then opened them again, still feeling that same nagging feeling of the curse, the pain in her body, and the pull she had to Storybrooke. It wasn’t enough to break the curse, but it was definitely something. “Not yet.”

“Are you two kissing in front of me now?”

Emma started to laugh as she looked over at Henry, a yawn coming out of his mouth. “You were supposed to be asleep.”

“Hard to sleep when you’re talking,” Henry commented, a smile forming on his young face. “Not that I mind if you’re, ya know, _in love_ and all that.”

A deep blush filled Regina’s cheeks and she covered her eyes with her hand. “I’m sorry, Henry.”

He started to laugh and leaned forward. “I’m 16, not 12. I can handle it.”

“Clearly,” Emma responded, nudging Regina gently. The two women locked eyes and then Regina leaned her head against Emma’s shoulder.

A knock on the door to the condo made Henry stand up and look back at his mom. “We expecting anyone?”

“It’s probably August. He’s coming over with Ruby so we can go to the airport together.”

“Okay. I’ll get it,” he said as he stretched his arms above his head. He ran his hands through his hair and then smoothed it to the side as he approached the door.  “Uh… hi? Can I help you?” he asked, his voice cracking a bit as he opened the door, not bothering to check the peephole first.

“Yeah, um, Henry, right? Is your mom here?”

“Ma, there’s a cop here.”

Regina tensed immediately and Emma whispered, “Hey. Stop. I promised no cops. I don’t know what this is about.” She leaned forward and turned around, her heart leaping into her throat when her eyes caught sight of the police officer. “Neal?”

Regina turned her head and caught sight of the man, as well. Her mouth dropped open. “How did…” Her mind flashed to the previous kiss and the obvious change in the interior air. It was becoming more and more clear to her that their kisses, their affection, while not breaking the curse, clearly held magical capabilities.

“Neal?” Emma asked again as she stood up and made her way over to the door.

“Emma,” he said calmly.

“What are you doing here? You can’t just show up like this. We have discussed this.”

“I know, Emma, I know. I’m sorry,” Neal said softly. “I just… I was on patrol and this wind hit me and my car. Man, Emma. I don’t know. It just sort of steered its way here. I don’t know how to explain it.” His eyes moved over her shoulder towards Regina’s figure on the couch, her mouth still hanging open. He pointed his finger over Emma’s shoulder. “She knows my father.”

Emma looked at Neal and then at Henry before turning around to look at Regina. “What are you talking about?”

“She knows him, Emma,” Neal said, pushing his way into the condo, past Emma and Henry. He rushed around the couch and knelt down in front of Regina. “You know who I am, don’t you?”

Regina nodded her head and then swallowed. “Baelfire.”

“I am,” Neal whispered. “You know my father.”

“I do,” Regina said, pushing a breath out of her lungs.

“Wait a second,” Emma hissed as she took three long strides and made her way over to the couch. “What is going on?”

Regina kept her eyes glued to Neal. “He’s Rumplestiltskin’s son,” she said, her voice low. “He is the last piece of the puzzle.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Emma pushed out of her mouth as she rushed over to Regina and Neal. “No, that can’t be. I mean, we’ve known each other forever. He’s… He can’t be. This is… wait, I don’t… How is this possible? Did you know? Have you known about all of this? This whole time?” Emma paused and waited for Neal to look at her. “Neal! _Fucking_ look at me!”

Neal looked up at Emma from his position on his knees in front of Regina. “Emma, I can explain.”

“Ma?” Henry asked, still standing in the entryway. “What’s going on?”

Emma swirled around. “Oh, kid,” she said, her heart so heavy. “This is, wow, this is really hard to say.”

Henry walked closer to his mother and then took two steps around her. He stopped, looked at Neal and then with a voice Emma hadn’t heard him use in years, said so softly, “Dad?”

Emma’s eyes instantly filled with tears and her heart sank into her stomach. “Oh, god,” she whispered, the tears escaping from her eyes and tracking down her face.

“Yeah, kid, I’m your dad,” Neal said, a small smile gracing his lips.

“Ma, but you said-”

“I know what I said, Henry,” Emma cut Henry off while she wiped frantically at the tears. Her voice sounded irritated, and maybe she was, because Christ, what else could be thrown at her? Now her ex and Henry’s father was involved? Who else was going to be involved? Her eyes softened when she saw Henry’s face collapse, though. “Henry, honey, I’m sorry,” she said with a sigh.

“Emma, what did you tell him?”

“I told him you were gone… You left us. You ran away. Far away from here,” Emma said, her lips pursed, her hands nervously clutching at her jean pockets. “I didn’t know what to tell him, Neal. I’m sorry.”

“But Regina…. Regina, you said you knew about him,” Henry said quietly.

Emma looked at Regina, her eyes searching. “You did?”

“I did, yes.”

“And you didn’t tell me.” Emma shook her head and crossed her arms. “Of course.”

“Emma,” Regina whispered. Her eyes were sad, her heart heavy. “Stop, please.” She watched as the blonde softened and relaxed her shoulders. “You know now.”

“How’d you do that?” Neal asked Regina with a laugh.

“How did I _what_ , exactly?”

“Calm her down? I have never been able to do that. I don’t think anyone has the ability to calm her down when she gets pissed.”

Emma scoffed as Regina smiled and said, “It’s a gift.”

“Good thing one of us has that gift,” Neal replied as she sat down on the edge of the couch. “So, when do we leave?”

Henry walked over to the couch and sat down next to Neal. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him. “What should I call you?” Henry asked, his rapidly deepening voice raising at the end. “I mean, should I call you ‘dad’ or ‘Neal?’”

Neal looked over at his son. “‘Neal’ is good for now, kid.”

* * *

 

August and Ruby, with Belle in tow, had arrived shortly after Neal. Mary Margaret and David showed up about two hours later. And Killian. Well, he had also taken it upon himself to take up residence at the kitchen table, laying out crumpled maps and using a compass, some device he called a _sextant_ , and trying desperately to pinpoint the location of a town that, for all intents and purposes, shouldn’t exist.

Emma was definitely freaking out on the inside. Her entire world had changed in the blink of an eye. She wasn’t who she thought she was. She was _more_. She was _important_.

She was the _white knight_.

And Henry. Oh, man. Henry. She couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that everything in Henry’s life was about to change. No more expensive private school. No more amazing Chicago loft and friends and food. No more home.

Why was she doing this? Why was she going along with all of _this_? She could run. She really could. And honestly? She _should_ run. She could pack up Henry and herself right now as the motley crew in her living room sat and talked amongst themselves. She could steal away in the night and leave them all to fend for themselves.

And why shouldn’t she? Why should she stay and help these people?

She did not sign up for magic and story books and evil. This? All of this? It was a fucked up version of a nightmare she had been having since she was a child. And the nightmare coming to fruition was nothing at all like she had ever pictured once she woke up.

Leaving would be easy.

Leaving would be quick. And painless. Wouldn’t it?

Emma leaned against the wall in the kitchen area and took a long swig of her Goose Island beer. Her eyes scanned the people littering her living room.

Ten _people._

Ten _people_ would start this mission together.

And ten people had better end this mission together. Or why was she even a white knight and a savior? If she couldn’t save these people?

Mary Margaret. Her best friend. Her confidant. Her rock… Her fucking _mom._

David. Her best guy friend. The one she would send Henry with to go see the scary movies she couldn’t stomach and the one that would give her a hug after yet another break-up. He was her _dad._

And _Belle_. Really? Beauty and the Beast? Emma knew that she was a bookworm and a fan of French bread, but seriously? If there was a chipped cup running around Chicago somewhere she certainly hoped he wasn’t part of the plan.

And then Ruby. Oh man, Ruby. She had known her for a week and _boom_. This girl’s a fucking _werewolf_ and _Red Riding Hood_ and holy shit, who knew that they were one in the same?

Don’t even get her started on Killian being _Captain Hook_. The hook and eyeliner really should have given it away.

August. The man who lies his way out of everything was _Pinocchio_. What are the odds?

And Neal.

Emma pulled a deep breath into her lungs and then let it out softly, making sure not to draw attention to herself as she continued to watch the lively banter. It was as if these people had known each other their whole lives.

It turned out they had known each other their whole lives.

Emma’s eyes scanned over to Regina, who currently had her arm draped over a very sleepy Henry. He was leaning into her, his body scrunched down and his head leaning into her chest. She was saying something to him and he smiled, laughter shaking his body and then his eyes looked over at Killian and then he pulled back to look up at Regina. She winked at him and then he laughed once more before returning his head to her chest. The brunette bent her head forward and placed a kiss on top of Henry’s hair. Emma’s heart ached when she saw Regina’s deep intake of breath and how Henry’s hair moved slightly as the brunette released the air. It was a strange comfort seeing how relaxed her son was with Regina; it seemed that learning the news of the curse only made him like her more.

And all of that? Seeing Henry with Regina and seeing Regina with Henry? That right there was the reason Emma wasn’t going to pack them up and run. It was enough to make Emma believe that anything is possible. Even fairytale characters existing in this fucked up world was possible. She had no idea why she trusted Regina with everything in her, but she did. She was taking a leap of faith and it scared her, but she couldn’t run. Not this time.

Regina’s eyes moved up and found Emma’s across the room. A small smile spread across her face and then it faded. She tilted her head, a silent, ‘Are you okay?’ passing between them.

Emma smiled, nodded her head and raised her beer in a mock ‘cheers.’ Her heartbeat quickened when Regina’s smile returned and before Emma knew it, she had lit the line of candles on the shelf above the television. The room went quiet and everyone turned and looked at her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that,” she commented, clearly flustered.

A laugh bubbled up out of Ruby’s throat and then one followed from Belle. Before long, they were all laughing. It was a much needed stress reliever.

* * *

 

“Are you scared?” Emma whispered. The sound broke through the very silent night air in the bedroom. They had all retired for the evening, Ruby and Belle sharing the upstairs pull-out bed, Mary Margaret and David snuggled together on the chaise portion of the couch, August on the other end of the couch, Killian on the floor, and Neal on an air mattress. It was tight quarters, but they all had to be up in 4 hours to get to the airport, so it wasn’t like they’d get any real sleep anyway.

Regina rolled over in bed to face Emma. Her face was lit up with the light from the streetlamps. “Only of losing you,” Regina finally said, her eyes filling with tears. “I never thought I could love someone like this.”

“Regina, you’re not going to lose me. Ever.”

“Oh, Emma,” Regina breathed. “I know you wanted to run. I’m not stupid. I saw it in your face tonight. This isn’t easy to accept and I know that. I wouldn’t blame you if you packed up and headed for the hills.”

Emma’s heart clenched as those words left the brunette’s mouth. “You’re right,” Emma said so softly. She closed her eyes to try to not cry. “I wanted to run. I always run.”

“Why don’t you? You still can.”

“Because-” Emma paused, collecting her thoughts.

“Emma, that isn’t a good enough reason.”

“Let me finish,” she whispered as she opened her eyes. “Do you know how wonderful it is to see Henry laughing with you? And talking to you? And loving you?” Emma brought her hand up and smoothed away a tear that had found its way down the brunette’s cheek. “It’s beautiful and heartbreaking and there is no way I am running from that.”

“But Emma, you can find someone else. This isn’t… this plan? It’s not going to save anyone but _me._ ”

“That’s not true.”

“It is true, dear. I am the only one that will perish from not going back. It’s already happening… I’m already feeling the effects of the curse from remembering.”

“No, stop.” Emma moved herself closer to the brunette’s body, the heat under the covers intensifying as their legs intertwined. “Regina, it’s not _just_ saving you,” Emma said before leaning forward and placing her lips on Regina’s. As she pulled away, she whispered, “It’s saving me and Henry, too.” And it was. For the first time ever, Emma wasn’t running away from happiness. She was running towards it.

She only hoped that when it came right down to it, she wouldn’t lose everything she was fighting for.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

“Emma, you’ll want to turn right up there on 400 North.”

“You’re sure about that, your majesty? According to the map-”

“Storybrooke isn’t even _on_ that map, Hook, so you’re going to have to trust me.” Regina shifted in the second row of seats in the white van they had rented. She was directly behind the passenger seat where Hook had taken the co-pilot reigns, surprising them all when he decided to not pilot this vessel with only one hand. August, Ruby, Bell were in the farthest seats in the back of the van, followed by Mary Margaret and David, and then, of course, Neal and Henry seated directly next to Regina.

“Aye, aye,” Hook replied, barely below a shout.

Regina moved her gaze from the road to the rearview mirror and locked onto Emma’s eyes. The blonde’s green showed a smile and within seconds Regina was returning the gesture. A pain shot up through Regina’s back and into her neck when they hit a rather large pothole, though and Emma whipped her head back.

“Are you okay?” the blonde asked, clearly seeing the look of pain and hearing Regina’s sharp intake of breath.

“Yes, dear, I’m fine. Keep driving.” Regina tried to put on a brave face, but it felt that the closer they got to the town’s border, the quicker the pain started to spread. It was the strangest pain she had ever felt. It started at her heart and spread out through her veins, squeezing everything. It felt almost as if the magic was being drained from her body and, in turn, her life was also being drained. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, feeling Henry’s boyish frame scrunched into her side. Even though it made her so happy that he chose to sit by her, she hated that he was seeing her in pain. She felt a hand on her shoulder once she relaxed a bit and opened her eyes. She glanced toward the hand and noticed Mary Margaret was leaning forward from the back row of seats. Needless to say, it shocked her: this woman showing her any sort of kindness when everything they had went through when Mary Margaret was younger had been brought to light.

“Are you okay?” the pixie haired woman asked, her eyes wide. “I noticed the flight didn’t do much for you in the form of comfort.”

Regina smiled, softly, and then with a fondness she hadn’t felt for Snow White in quite some time said, “I’ll be okay. Thank you for asking, though.”

“Thank you,” Mary Margaret whispered, her face quite close to Regina’s now. “For saving us… from the curse… for not taking Emma from us. I don’t know… I just don’t know what I would have done.”

“It’s the least I could do,” Regina started, a memory flooding her brain of a young Snow White following her around, asking questions, laughing and giggling, trying on her jewelry, borrowing her lip stain, imagining herself wearing Regina’s beautiful dresses. She felt Mary Margaret’s gentle squeeze of her shoulder before the woman leaned back into her seat.

“Your majesty, your directions are getting us lost,” came Hook’s voice from the front seat.

A small smile played at Regina’s lips as the road they were on started to shift, potholes everywhere, the asphalt uneven from not being used. She felt Emma slowing the car to go around a few large cracks in the road and then the van speed back up before going around a very wide curve. The woods cleared a bit and then, like a beacon, the green Entering Storybrooke sign stood on the right hand side of the road.

“I take it back,” Hook whispered.

Emma inched the van up to a red line that had been painted on the road. She put the van into park and looked over her shoulder. “We’re here.”

“I’ll be honest,” Neal started from his seat, his knee bobbing nervously, “I didn’t really believe this was real.”

A small chuckle came from the backseat. “That makes nine of us, my friend,” August said, the sarcasm dripping from his words.

“I’m glad to see you all trust me,” Regina replied, a hint of humor in her tone.

“I believed you,” Henry said as he intertwined his fingers with the older woman’s. “I dunno why. I guess, I like, I felt it. Inside of me, I think.”

“Me, too, kid,” came Emma’s voice from the front seat. She looked back at her son and smiled, taking in the sight of him holding Regina’s hand like a lifeline. “So, now what?”

Regina took a deep breath, her lungs aching and her heart feeling like it was struggling to keep beating. “Well, we have to get in.”

“Without being seen?” David asked from behind her.

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, then, we’re too late,” he remarked, his finger pointing forward toward the line.

A man in a tweed jacket was standing at the town line, an umbrella in one hand and a Dalmatian dog on a leash in the other. Regina smiled and looked back at David. “No, he’s expecting us.”

“Who is that?” Henry asked.

“That’s Archie,” Regina answered. “You’ll know him better as Jiminy Cricket, though.”

A laugh came out of Henry’s mouth and then he beamed. “I swear, this is better than any video game I could have ever played.”

Neal slowly slid open the van door that was closest to him. “Guess we better get started.”

“Stick to the plan,” Emma reminded as she opened her own door and climbed out of the van. She quickly went around to help Regina get out of the opposite side, knowing that with each passing minute, Regina grew weaker and weaker. She grabbed onto Regina’s hand and then placed her other hand on the brunette’s side, holding her tightly as she scooted across the seat and then stood. She was shaking and Emma could see the pain register in her eyes. “How are you doing?” Emma whispered when Regina was standing firmly on the ground.

“Horribly,” she responded, her bloodshot eyes welling with tears. “I don’t… I don’t know how much… longer…”

“Regina,” Emma said softly, looking at the woman. “What’s going on?” As soon as the question slipped past her lips, the brunette started to collapse. Emma wrapped her arms around the other woman and screamed, “August! Help me!” She guided the woman to the ground, cradling her head in her hands.

“Oh, shit,” August said as he jumped from the van and helped Emma with Regina’s weight. “What’s happening?”

“You have to get her onto this side of the town line,” came a muffled voice.

Ruby was now standing next to them. She looked up at the man on the other side of the town line and then down at Regina and Emma. “Em, did you hear… uh, _Jiminy Cricket_?”

“Yes, but I’ve never….I thought she’d be here, I can’t do this alone,” Emma choked the last part out, a dry sob taking her over. “Regina,” she said again, her voice breaking. “Oh, god, Regina, wake up.”

“Miss!”

Emma looked up towards the man Regina had called Archie. “What?”

“You have to get her over _here_.” He motioned with his arm and umbrella. The dog whined and yelped, almost as if it was trying to tell Emma the same thing. “You can’t walk across, though. There is no way across the line.”

“What do you mean? It doesn’t look like there’s anything there,” Ruby said as she picked up a rock and threw it as hard as she could. The rock careened into what seemed like a protective barrier. The rock came flying back, almost as if the barrier tossed it at them.

“I told you!” Archie said firmly. “You have to _magic_ yourself across. Can you do that?”

“No!” Emma shouted at him. Her eyes were red rimmed, filled with tears. “No, I can’t do that!”

“Emma, yes, you can,” Mary Margaret said as she knelt down beside Emma, placing both of her hands on either side of Emma’s face. She looked into her daughter’s eyes, the green mirroring her own. “This is what Regina was talking about at our apartment. Don’t you remember? You can do this, Emma. I believe in you. _Regina_ believed in you.”

“Mary Margaret, this is… No, you don’t understand. I can’t do this without her!”

August placed his fingers on the pulse point on Regina’s neck and then looked up at Emma. “Emma, you have to figure this out. I can’t find a pulse.”

“Fuck,” Emma hissed. She clenched her jaw and then closed her eyes, focusing on all the things Regina had taught her.

_Love_.

Emma felt tears rolling down her cheeks, the taste of bile in the back of her throat becoming more and more apparent. A breeze was blowing, whipping the ends of her hair around. Her stomach was in knots, filling with butterflies. Her skin felt like it had tiny paper cuts all over it, and the sound of everyone’s breathing was so loud. And then, the smell of apples and lavender and spice washed over her. She heard the static of silence and the taste of nothing before she peeled her eyes open. She looked around. “Holy shit,” Emma whispered. “I did it.”

“Emma, you did it!” Mary Margaret shouted from across the line. “You did it!”

Emma’s smile was broad as she looked at all of her traveling companions lined up against the barrier. She looked back down and touched Regina’s cheek. “Regina. Wake up.” She smoothed the brunette’s hair from her forehead. “Why aren’t you awake? What’s going on? I _saved_ you,” she whispered, leaning down to press her cheek against Regina’s. Her skin was cold as ice and hard as rock. “Please wake up. Please, please, please wake up,” Emma whispered, her tears running down her face and landing on the dark of Regina’s hair. “I can’t do this without you.”

“Mom!” Henry’s voice rang through her head. “Mom! You have to listen to me! You need to kiss her!”

Emma’s eyes shot up at Henry. “What are you talking about, Henry?”

“Kiss her! Mom! True love’s kiss can break any curse!”

“He’s right!” came Belle’s voice from behind August. “It’s in the book!”

Emma looked up at Archie and then down at the dog and then down to Regina’s lifeless form. She leaned down, pulled a deep breath into her lungs and then slowly let it out. “I love you,” Emma whispered before she placed her pink lips onto Regina’s cold red ones. She felt a vibration beneath her before a pulse of wind pushed out from them. The familiar smell of apples and lavender and spice filled the air and then, Emma heard Regina’s sharp intake of breath before she opened her dark eyes.

“Emma,” Regina breathed.

“I did it,” Emma answered, tears still streaming down her face. “We did it.”

“You saved me,” Regina whispered, her head still cradled by Emma’s hands.

“I love you,” Emma said again before she placed her lips back onto Regina’s.

A smile came to Regina’s lips as they kissed. “I love you, too,” she said between kisses. And with each kiss, she felt her strength returning.

“Your majesty? I hate to interrupt,” Archie said softly. “But I think…” his voice trailed off when Emma and Regina both looked up at him.

Emma stood and helped Regina up from the ground. “What is it, Archie?” The dog rushed up to Regina and she knelt down, running her hand over the Dalmatian’s spotted head. “Hello, Pongo.”

“I think that did it,” he said with a smile. “The town line. I think it’s gone.”

“Are you sure?” Neal and Hook said at the same time.

Hook picked up a rock and threw it at the line; it skidded across this time instead of hitting something and ricocheting back. “Looks like it, mates,” Hook said, his crooked smile displayed.

Henry was the first person to come shooting over the town line, immediately wrapping his arms around his mom and Regina. “I told you,” Henry said into his mom’s coat. “I told you.”

Emma smiled when she kissed the top of his head. “I know, kid. You’re pretty good at this fairy tale stuff.”

Regina smiled and put her hand on Henry’s arm. “Thank you, Henry.” She let out a puff of air when he pulled her in and hugged her even harder.

“Welcome back,” Mary Margaret said as she approached Regina. “You look _much_ better.”

Regina chuckled as her eyes locked with Mary Margaret’s. “Thank you, Snow.”

“Wow. It’s been a long time since I’ve been called that.”

“Well, let’s get going,” David said as he ushered the group back to the van. “We have a lot of work to do.”

* * *

 

“You really think it’s a good idea to just burst in on him?”

Regina looked at Emma as they turned onto Mifflin Street. She smiled, her eyes shining and then said, “I think it’s honestly the only way we can get this whole plan started.”

“Don’t you think it’ll just piss him off?”

“I think that’s exactly what it will do.”

“Great,” August said from the back seat. “Do you think you could, you know, put a protection spell on us?  I didn’t dodge arrows in Chicago only to come here and get shot by one.”

“There will be no need for a protection spell, August,” Regina said as she signaled for Emma to pull the van onto the side of the road. “That’s it.”

“Jesus, Regina. This house is huge.”

“I made sure I was comfortable when the curse was cast,” Regina explained. “Now, Emma, August, Neal, Hook, and David. We will go inside first. Ruby, Belle, Snow? You will take the van to Granny’s and protect Henry at all costs. Right at the second stop sign.”

“Granny’s?” Ruby asked. “Like, my grandma’s? She’s here?”

“Yes, she’s here,” Regina answered, a small smile spread across her lips. “I hope the reunion is all it needs to be.”

“Will she remember me?”

“Yes. She will. The town line is gone. Memories are back.” Regina climbed out of the van and was followed by Emma and the men. “Good luck at the diner.”

“Ditto,” Ruby said as she started the van and pulled away. Mary Margaret waved and then they were gone.

* * *

 

Regina walked up to the front door of the mansion. She took in the chipped paint, the crack in the porch, the busted light. “Glad to see he took care of things while I was away,” she mumbled. She placed her hand on the doorknob to open the door. “You ready?” she asked Emma who was standing next to her.

“Yes. Let’s do this.” Emma slid her gun out of the holster and released the safety. Regina pushed the door open and Emma slowly walked inside, clearing the entryway. “Clear.”

David and Hook followed, leaving Neal as a watchman at the front door. August followed Regina inside and whispered, “I got your back, Regina.”

“Thank you,” she answered, smiling. “I don’t think I’ll need it, but thank you.”

“Well, then, why don’t you get _my_ back then?” August asked with a soft chuckle.

As soon as the laugh left his lips, they heard Emma yell, “Freeze!”

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa, what’s going on here? Who are you? What are you doing in my house?” came a very deep, very British voice.

“Regina, I found him.” Emma moved through the study, stepping quickly along the edge of the room. “Keep your hands up, Hood. Don’t try anything crazy.”

“Regina? What are you talking about?” Robin asked, his hands in the air.

“ _Your_ house?” Regina asked, her voice thick with anger as she approached the doorway to the study. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find my way back to this place?” As she whisked into the room, her veins crackled like fire with the magic that was coursing through them.

“Gina, wait, I can explain everything.”

“Let’s stop with the familiarities, Robin. My name is Regina. And you would be wise to remember that.”

“You cannot act like that, Gin, _uh_ , _Re_ gina. There is an explanation.”

“What’s with the change in demeanor?” August asked, propping himself against the doorframe. He removed his gloves and cracked his knuckles. “Not such a bad ass without that bow and arrow, eh?”

“Wait, you have to let me explain. I can _explain_ everything,” Robin said, stuttering slightly at the beginning of each word. His hands were shaking, his eyes searching madly for something, someone, anything to help him out of this situation.

“Waiting for back-up?” Emma asked. She noticed his shifty eyes and his ready to flee stance. “You’re not getting away, Hood, so you might as well calm the fuck down and start leveling with us. Who put you up to stalking her?” Emma nodded her head at Regina, never letting her eyes leave Robin’s face. “Who has your wife and kid?”

Robin’s face fell; his eyes instantly filled with tears. “What? How did you…?”

“We found your lair in the parking garage in Chicago. Pretty ingenious, really, but clearly you weren’t expecting _us_ ,” August said when he motioned towards himself and Emma.

“And who are you two, exactly?” Robin asked with his hands still in the air.

Regina huffed. “I hired them as soon as you shot my car tire with an arrow.” She walked over closer towards him, never looking away from his blue eyes. “Why did you lie to me? I _trusted_ you.”

“Regina, I’m sorry, I really am,” he said. His hands started to drop slightly but when he saw Emma lunge forward aggressively, they shot back to the sky. “I just didn’t know what to do. I need to get them back and I took the first suggestion given.”

“Who suggested pulling a fast one on the Evil Queen there, mate?” Hook asked, his hook pointed towards Robin, ready to be ruthless if need be.

Robin took a deep breath and then let it out, his eyes moving between Regina, Emma, and then back to Regina. “Rumplestiltskin,” he said, his accent thick.

“Wait, if he told you to pull the fast one… Isn’t he the one with your kid and your wife?” Emma’s question hung in the air before she started to lower her gun. “What the hell is going on? What are we dealing with here?”

“I think it’s more of a ‘who’ than a ‘what.’” August moved a couple steps further into the room. “If it’s not this Rumple guy, then who the hell has your family?”

Regina searched Robin’s eyes before she leaned forward. “Is it the Sheriff?”

“Why would the _sheriff_ have your family? Are they in jail?” Emma asked, clearly not understanding.

“The Sheriff of _Nottingham_ ,” Robin sighed. “Can I put my hands down now? I promise to not make any sudden movements. Just let me tell you all what happened. And maybe,” his eyes moved to Regina’s, “Maybe you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.” His voice was barely a whisper.

Emma watched Regina’s shoulders drop, her features soften. “We’ll see,” she said quietly. “Where’s the rest of your Merry Men? The last thing we need is an ambush.”

“It’s only Little John and myself. I’ll call him in when I think it’s safe to.” Robin lowered his hands, took a deep breath and then said, “It’s been a long couple of years trying to track our families down. The Sheriff took them, Marion, Roland, Alice and Jacob. I was a thief. You’ve all heard the tales, I’m sure. It’s not a lie. I robbed from the rich, gave to the poor. It was the only way I knew to survive. My father was murdered by the Sheriff and in order to give proper payback-”

“You decided to hit him where it counts.”

“The pocketbook,” Hook finished. “Aye, mate, nicely played. A pirate on dry land, I see. Kindred spirits, you and I.”

Robin nodded his head as he leaned back against the window ledge, crossing his left leg over right. “We tracked them down, but Robert, the Sheriff, his forces were too thick to break through with only Little John and myself.”

“Where is Little John now?” Emma asked, her finger still on the trigger of her gun.

“He has your man at the front in his sights.” Robin smiled and then looked over his shoulder, raising a hand in the air. “He’ll be on his way in now.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell Neal that he was being sniped,” August whispered when he approached Emma. “Probably won’t make him feel better about joining us on this adventure.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to shoot him.”

“Or the last, I presume,” Hook added, an eyebrow raised. “Carry on with your story, mate.”

Robin looked at Regina, her dark eyes filled with sadness. “According the Rumple, this is exactly how it was supposed to go, Regina. Marry you, steal from you. You’d run away, you’d bring back the savior and everything would be fine.”

“You knew about me?” Emma asked, her voice cracking at the same time she clicked the safety on her gun into place. “How is that possible?”

“Well, I knew there was a savior. I didn’t know the savior was a woman,” Robin said now with his arms crossed. “I figured the savior was Rumple’s son, Baelfire. It made the most sense as to why the savior was so important. Jolly good job finding him, though, Regina. How’d you manage that?”

“ _Magic_ , Robin. The same way I’ve managed everything,” Regina answered, her voice low. “I’m still confused why you thought stealing from me was a good idea.”

“Steal your money, use it to buy our families back. But Rumple said there was more. More to his plan. He said the Sheriff would fall if Rumple could rise again. And he can’t rise without Baelfire.” Robin took a deep breath. “The Sheriff is here now. In Storybrooke”

“ _You_ are the sheriff,” Regina said, perplexed.

“Not anymore.” Robin pushed forward off of the window just as Little John came strutting into the study. “Little John, meet the motley crew of misfits that have come to help us. Misfits, meet Little John.”

“ _Help_ you? Who said we were going to help you?” Regina asked as Robin brushed past her.

He pulled up short, turned towards her, his blue eyes looking directly into hers. “You wouldn’t be back if you weren’t going to help me. You have nothing to live for out there.” He motioned with a finger towards the town line. “No one to love you, The Evil Queen. This place is the only place that would ever have you. And now that memories are back… There’s no telling who will want to murder you. You’re good as dead unless you help me.” He turned to walk away and was met with the barrel of Emma’s gun.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Robin Hood.” Emma released the safety on the gun, her brow furrowed, her eyes lit with fury. “ _The Savior_ loves her. And this _motley crew of misfits_? We aren’t going to let anything happen to her.” Emma heard the unmistakable sign of the pull of a bow and an arrow being aimed at her head. Good to know Little John was stupid enough to try it with a fully juiced up Evil Queen and a White Knight with a gun.

“Oh, isn’t that wonderful.” Robin chuckled. “‘And the lion shall lay with the lamb.’”

“Stop,” Regina said forcefully. She looked at Emma, her eyes pleading. “We’ll help you, Robin.”

“But only because it’s what a hero would do,” August commented, his arms crossed over his chest. He lifted his head towards Little John.

“Easy with the arrow, big guy. It wouldn’t make it near her with Regina right there,” Hook explained as he raised his hook and hooked it onto the end of the arrow to make Little John lower his weapon.

“Exactly why I don’t trust her. If _they’re_ in cahoots, Robin, what’s next? Rumple being a friendly guy?” Little John said, a snarl to his lip.

Robin turned his head towards Little John and shook his head. “They’re going to help, John. Let’s just see where this goes.” The larger man stiffened significantly before taking a deep breath. They seemed to have a conversation with their eyes before Little John finally visibly relaxed, standing now with his arms at his side, the bow at the ready.

“First thing’s first,” Regina said. “Time to show Rumplestiltskin his son.”

 


End file.
